The Lion and the Amazon
by Shittenou Jadeite
Summary: The war with the Dark Kingdom rages on, and a storm is brewing between Sailor Jupiter and General Nephrite. Between the blood and the hate, will old feelings emerge in time? Or will the storm consume them both? Act 2 of the Souls Saga. Sorry for the bland summary; lost my thinking cap.
1. Chapter 1

(Harro! I know, I know it's been...holy crap it has been that long. Better late than never I guess. Anyways, I'm pleased to see that Maiden and the Dragon was so well received - as well as it could be anyways - so with that, I give you the second installment of the newly dubbed Souls Saga, The Lion and the Amazon.)

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Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

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The peaceful calm of the night was shattered by the blinding flash of a bolt of light followed by the destructive chorus of thunder. The night sky was clear and the weather reports said nothing of any storms in the coming week, but that mattered little to the chaos that was enveloping the sanctity of the park.

Here, two forces of nature collided in a vicious standoff, blurs of black and green going back and forth faster than bullets, sparks of light generated from their contact. Sooner or later one of them would give though, and the other was sure to capitalize on their opponent's blunder.

After a particularly fierce exchange, the two figures slid to a stop in front of one another, their gazes locking and their expressions stormy. Battered and bruised, General Nephrite stood across from his adversary, the racing of his heart forgotten in orbs of lush green. The Soldier of Thunder and Courage settled herself into a fighting stance, white gloved hands curled into fists that crackled with green energy.

The auburn-haired man slowly reached up and wiped his mouth, frowning when he spotted a stain as he pulled his arm away. He looked up toward the Sailor Senshi, watching as the corners of her lips turned up in a small grin. His eyes narrowed. "I guess this is what they call first blood," he called out. Her laughter made his body hum with excitement and even now he still didn't know the cause of it.

"Don't let that discourage you from trying again," she shouted back, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Nephrite couldn't help the small grin at her words. Gods, he was a fool. She was supposed to be the enemy, his enemy and yet…facing her never made him feel more alive. His aura practically blazed whenever Sailor Jupiter came around.

Their bouts were never controlled or restrained – everything was put on the line, their very souls committed to pushing the other to the breaking point. It wasn't a fight to the death but it wasn't some brawl either; the two were matching each other blow for blow with everything they had. The only one in the Dark Kingdom who could match his strength was his commander and since he was still in London searching for that pretender, he was left without any real challenge. Once he might've went to Jadeite to sharpen his sword skills but…those days were over.

'_I never thought he of all people would actually leave,'_ he thought morosely.

His brother had left them for the enemy, had become in their Queen's words "a traitor to the cause". Even so Nephrite still considered the curly haired blond his brother in all but blood, just as it went for the others even Zoisite for all his deceit.

"Hey, don't tell me you've lost your urge," Jupiter shouted at him.

Nephrite snorted. "A gentleman always lets the ladies go first," he said, his words making her eyes widen and…did her cheeks just darken? Then, her eyes hardened to emeralds and instantly Nephrite felt the force of her aura blaze against his again.

Round two was imminent.

Letting his own aura flare, he waited patiently for the thunder senshi to make her move. Slowly she started to circle him, her eyes never leaving his while her arms crackled with energy every so often. Seconds passed, then minutes…

Suddenly, she stopped and pushed off towards him.

She was on him in seconds raining punches and kicks at him that would've broken bricks like they were cardboard. Even with all his training and experience it was difficult to avoid all of her strikes, her legs grazing his side once or twice. Still, she would tire eventually and when that happened, then it was his turn.

His chance soon came when one of her kicks went wide, allowing him to dive to the side and flank her from the left. Now it was she who was on the defensive, skipping back as he hammered her with the same punishment she had been dishing out only minutes before. But for all of his strength, her agility rendered all of that futile dodging his swings with an almost dancer-like grace. The General was amazed at how honed her reflexes were – with her kind of mobility and the power she packed, she was a literal force of nature.

As one of his punches went through, she reacted not unlike a cobra would, grabbing his fist with one of her own, grappling with him. Nephrite growled and tried to break her hold but it was no use, she had him by the balls on this one. A green light blinded him briefly until he realized what it was, his eyes widening when he saw her grin.

'_Oh crap.'_

"Jupiter Thunder Bolt!"

The hastily made barrier was the only thing that prevented him from being launched into the next district, the force of the attack sending him sliding backwards until he was on his knees. He looked up and saw her walking towards him, holding up one hand that crackled with green electricity. Nephrite rose to stand up but found that his strength was sapped, the last of it expended to make that barrier. The General glanced up at the approaching senshi, then made the hard decision – he teleported away from the park and back to the Dark Kingdom.

She'd won this round. But the next one would be different

* * *

The Shitennou faded away before her very eyes, leaving her standing alone in the park as the wind blew through the area. She sighed, brushing back some of her long brown hair. This was _not_ how she had expected her night to go. She'd been on her way to her home when she had picked up the Shitennou's aura in the area and went to find him. There was simply no way she could've just went on with her business when she had felt him.

General Nephrite.

She withheld a grin. What it was about the Dark Kingdom agent that captivated her so she did not know, but she relished in the chance to test herself against him. Ever since she had transformed into Sailor Jupiter for the first time, she'd had a strong urge to pay the man back plus interest. He was strong, powerful and made the battle freak in her cackle with glee. He was the absolute perfect sparring partner even if he was technically the enemy. She was glad that none of the others had shown up; Nephrite had stepped in to fill the void that Jadeite had left in Beryl's ranks and so he was priority target number one for the Senshi. She didn't want to have to dust him tonight…or any other for that matter.

And what surprised her even more was how the general seemed to mirror her own desires. When they fought the first time, she had seen that smile on his face, something that already struck a chord deep within her although she didn't know the actual reason why. All she knew was that Nephrite wasn't just going to get rid of her every time they faced off and it showed, even if their usual bouts got a little intense sometimes like tonight had.

This had been going on for two weeks now but in all that time, Nephrite had never affected her the way he had tonight. The "ladies first" comment had thrown her for a loop and had, admittedly, had her a little bit flattered before something else in her crushed it down. She'd been a little ruthless tonight but it wasn't like she had scared him off. She may not have known about the guy long but if he was anything like her, he wouldn't run away from a challenge – she'd see him again soon.

An insistent beeping brought her out of her musings, her eyes widening when she looked at her watch. "Crap! I have to get up early for class tomorrow!" With one final glance toward where Nephrite had been, she ran off from the scene just as the sound of sirens was heard.

It didn't take her long to make it back to her flat, unlocking the glass door and sliding it open. She let her henshin drop as she entered, leaving her in her street clothes from before as she settled onto the sofa. "That baka got me all worked up and now I'll be lucky if I get any rest tonight."

Gazing up, she smiled a bit as a certain face came to mind, of her "rescuer" though she'd be damned if she ever admitted it out loud. "Hmm, I bet he could help me relax though," she giggled a bit before giving herself a mental slap.

'_Down girl. Just because he's the finest piece of meat you've ever laid eyes on doesn't mean you can jump him.'_

"_**At least not yet,"**_ a little voice whispered that she shoved down.

Stretching her arms over her head, she made her way to the bathroom and got herself ready for bed. One brief shower later she settled down in her bed, cozy and snug underneath her covers as she peered out into the empty room. Her heart ached a bit. "You know, it really is quiet here. I hate it. But what can I do about it?" Rolling over, she made herself comfortable and let her eyes slide closed, a slow smile coming to her lips as dreams of another world and a gentle giant came to her mind.

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(A bit of a rough start, but I've been kind of in a stagnate state for the last while and life hasn't been helping matters. Still, I looked it over and I am content with it. Course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so let me know what you guys think. Again, sorry for the super long wait but I can assure you, that this story has begun and I'm not about to let it die. But if you guys have any suggestions or ideas, let me know because writer's block comes and goes, plus it's nice to get a fresh perspective.)


	2. Chapter 2

(It's slow coming, but I'm grabbing this muse I have by the horns and hanging on for dear life. Got one hell of a kick though... Anyways, here's the next chapter. Read, review, you know the drill. Or just read and enjoy.)

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Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

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For Kino Makoto, school had never been something she looked forward to. Maybe when she was younger but ever since her parents had died, school was just one big mess that more often than not she dreaded. It either went along the lines of people wanting to pick fights with her due to her juvenile reputation or completely avoided her which she found even worse. At least people paid attention when she fought, but being ignored hurt her deeply...

Not that she would show anyone of course.

Like today for example. It had only been a few weeks since she was last kicked out of her previous school for fighting even though, in her defense, the guy was a total snob that deserved to be taken down a peg or two. That, and she may or may not have seen the guy grab one of her classmate's ass but that was neither here nor there. The school had viewed her justified punishment of the pervert a quote "malicious and unprovoked attack on her fellow student".

So now here she was, once again sitting alone and given a wide berth by the students of her new school, Juuban Municipal Junior High. And just like all the other schools, she was ignored. Probably for the best, though, she mused.

"Mako-chan!"

Despite herself, Kino Makoto found herself grinning.

Ok, so there was one good thing about this school that all the others didn't have: Tsukino Usagi.

The bubbly blonde had all but forced her way into her life, not that she was complaining of course. Unlike all the others in the past that had tried to make friends with her, Usagi never wanted anything in return like protection or...other things. All she wanted, it seemed, was her friendship...and an endless supply of her home cooking.

_Tsukino Usagi_ she thought fondly. _Perhaps the only real friend I've had in my life up until now._

"Good morning, or well, that's not right," the blonde said brightly, only to start muttering to herself with a bit of a frown.

"Close enough, Usagi-chan," Makoto said, and set down her lunch, popping open the top to reveal its contents. "This...is right, isn't it?" Part of her still feared that Usagi was only using her but she squashed that notion down before it could form.

Usagi's wolfish smile helped alleviate her worries as well, all but snatching the container from her and beginning to scarf down the contents. "This is," nom nom nom, "great Mako-chan!"

Most people would've been freaked out by how much of a stomach this tiny girl had, but Makoto just found her friend's appetite a relief and more than a little amusing. With someone like Usagi, boredom was frowned upon.

"Glad you like it. I didn't really know if the texture was right, so it took me a bit to get it ready."

"Arf vu kitting," Usagi said with a mouthful, before swallowing. "I'd eat my own socks if you could make them taste this good!" the blonde chirped with stars in her eyes before she set about scarfing down the rest of the food.

_I seriously hope she's joking,_ she thought to herself with a sweat drop.

"Kino-san, good afternoon." Makoto looked up and found a blue-haired girl standing there, a soft smile on her face.

Mizuno Ami, one of Usagi's friends which in turn had made her one of Makoto's friends. Quiet, shy but a genius, if it weren't for what she knew about both girls, she wouldn't have thought either of them could hurt a fly least of all Ami.

It was hard to believe that it had only been a few weeks, and in those weeks her life had been turned on its head. A few weeks ago she had been an bitter orphan with no friends at all; now she had found herself drawn into a shadow war for the fate of the planet, as a warrior of love and justice.

She'd heard of the senshi – who hadn't? Sailor Moon was a household name in the short time she'd been around, and with the others, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars, anyone who kept their ears open in Tokyo knew about them.

_And I'm one of them,_ she thought in amazement. _Sailor Jupiter..._

Suddenly, a certain face came to her thoughts and made her wonder.

_Has _he _heard of them, too?_

"Mako-chan, you ok?"

The brunette snapped out of her musings to give her friend a reassuring grin, "Yeah, just... Got a lot of things on my mind is all."

"Oh," Usagi all but purred, "thinking about that hunk of a guy who keeps popping up whenever you're around?"

Makoto felt her face warm several degrees, "H-how do you know about that?!" she all but shrieked.

Usagi smirked. "I have my sources." Beside her, Ami coughed a bit. "Anyways, so what's the scoop with you and him, hmmm?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Makoto insisted, even though deep down she wished that there was. There had been other guys in her life before, but no one that made her feel the way that he did. "He's just a friend," she said aloud, while in her heart she all but screamed, "and I hate that!"

"Honestly Usagi-chan, shouldn't you be more concerned about your grades than other's love lives," Ami pointed out, much to both girls' chagrin. "That all set aside, we need to meet up tonight after classes let out."

"Assuming those two can quit sucking face long enough to join us," Usagi grumbled.

Makoto stifled a giggle. Usagi and Ami weren't the only new friends she'd made of course. Hino Rei didn't go to this school, and neither did her mysterious boyfriend Ishikawa Ryuuji, but both lived up in the Hikawa Shrine where their senshi meetings usually took place. Despite having only known the girl for a few weeks, Makoto could easily tell Usagi was jealous of Rei and Ryuuji's relationship.

"Why don't you just ask Motoki-kun," Makoto suggested and Usagi stuck her tongue out.

"Eww, no way! Motoki-nii is like family! Even though he's really kind, unlike Baka-Chiba..."

"Oh," Makoto drawled, going on the offensive, "must be someone important if you've got a pet name for him." The way the blonde's face scrunched up made her want to burst out laughing. Really, the girl was too easy to tease sometimes.

Just then the bell rang, and all the students in the yard were beginning to pack up for the rest of the school day. "Come on, we better get back to class," Ami said, gathering her things.

Makoto smiled as she packed up her belongings. Yes, school wasn't her favorite place in the world, but her friends made it bearable and even enjoyable.

It was because of times like this that she had to stand up and fight, to become Sailor Jupiter.

'Who knows? Maybe I'll get that rematch tonight.'

* * *

Even though it was the only real home he'd ever known, at least as far as he could remember, the Dark Kingdom wasn't where Nephrite preferred to be. Honor and duty bound him to remain close by to his Queen, but deep down he hated every single second of being here. It was, not to be redundant of course, too dark but more than that it was cold. The kind of cold that felt as though every second you spent there, your soul was slowly being sucked out. He could swear that sometimes, when he was all by himself, he could just feel like something was leeching his energy from him.

But that was crazy – at least as far as the rest of his brothers were concerned. Well, as far as Zoisite and Kunzite went anyways. Zoisite was always a nattering little bugger, never content to keep his nose out of other's business and Kunzite… Nephrite shuddered a bit. His commander was a good man, but a frightening all the same. For once, he was grateful that he wasn't around since that meant he wouldn't have to deal with his scrutiny.

Truthfully though, he preferred the human's world to his own twisted realm. He didn't understand just why he was drawn to the world of being beneath him and his brothers, but he was. There was so much…life. And every moment you spent out there, with the sun shining brightly down on you, you felt alive and worth something. These were treasonous thoughts of course, but Nephrite would never breathe a word of them. They were his and his alone to mull over.

Especially ones concerning her, or rather them. The human world was enticing all on its own, but the fact that two of its inhabitants kept drawing him back in was concerning.

Two women, one was perhaps the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on, and who he had admittedly been thinking a lot about lately. He hadn't caught her name yet… But more than anything, he would find out. The other, equally beautiful but dangerous, as befitted the heroine known as Sailor Jupiter. She was his enemy, he acknowledged that, but all the same he found himself drawn to her in a way that the other woman did. It was maddening!

"Nephrite." A voice burst into his thoughts, forcing him to quickly stuff down all of his musings before they could be found. Queen Beryl would not tolerate such thoughts in her court. "I require your presence."

Warping to the throne room was a tried and true practice he had mastered years ago, but it still made him shudder a bit. Dark energy was a powerful ally, but he still felt it licking at his soul, tasting it. "You summoned me, my Queen?" he said, bowing low.

"Our lord desires more energy, much more. With Jadeite's betrayal," Beryl's face twisted into a visage of hatred as she said the name, "and Kunzite still abroad in Europe, that leaves only you and Zoisite as my trusted agents for this matter. Zoisite is currently formulating a plan to deal with the Senshi as a whole, but for now I need you to focus on gathering energy."

"It will be done, my Queen."

"How you go about it is up to you, but I expect you to return by tomorrow night with it. Now leave me."

Nephrite warped away in a wave of dark energy, leaving Beryl alone once more.

"He's been distracted lately," a voice floated up from nearby, drawing the Queen's attention. Zoisite stepped out from the shadows with a sneer on his delicate face. "He's been spending too much time in the human world lately, if you ask me. Sort of like a certain someone who shall not be named?"

"I am not and nor do I care," Beryl snapped. "Nephrite has faithfully served me longer than that traitor so I trust he will honor his duty to our mission, if nothing else."

"And if he doesn't?"

Beryl shot a glare at Zoisite who bowed quickly, "Leave me," she all but hissed at him.

Zoisite vanished from sight, leaving the queen alone with her thoughts.

The Queen rested her chin in her palm, her eyes staring into the crystal ball as it swirled with nothingness.

_He does represent a point though, even if it's not an entirely sound one,_ she thought. _I'll have to keep a closer eye on them all from now on, even Kunzite as stalwart though he is. Jadeite was lost from the minute Mars entered the game, but the others don't possess such an intimate connection with their Senshi. Nephrite and Jupiter were close, but their relationship was often one of the most tempestuous of the lot which could work to my advantage. But I'd prefer to not play that card just yet. For now, let's see how my dear general will do._


	3. Chapter 3

(Chapters will be being released on a weekly basis, unless writer's block strikes after which I'll put up a status update on here. But for right now, the muse is flowing nicely. It's just a matter of piecing everything together, and figuring out which characters get more screen time than others. After all, this will all be connected in an intricate web of some sort as the other two parts come out in the future. Bah, I'm rambling again. Here's another chapter. Like always, read, review, enjoy.)

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Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

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He ducked under the green laced up boot, taking a step back as his opponent advanced on him. She wasn't about to let him get away so easily though, hurling a cocked back gloved fist at him to make him block it. If he did, he might've stopped her assault but would've allowed her to keep close to him and keep hounding him until she could break through his defense.

But, much to her continued frustration, he just batted it away, throwing her off-balance as she sailed past him while he lashed out with a kick at her leg. The brunette crumbled, her balance destroyed as she grabbed her leg with a hiss of pain and frustration.

"You're too impatient," her sparring partner said for what seemed like the tenth time that day, staring down at her sternly. "You're putting too much of your strength into your first blows instead of saving your energy for the duration of the fight."

"It worked before-" she started to protest.

"Against unthinking opponents like youma, perhaps – but against someone like Beryl's agents, you'd be dead," the blond young man cut her off. Watching her nurse her leg for a moment, he sighed and offered her his hand which, after a moment, she took, nearly falling again for putting too much weight on her injured leg. "Easy."

"I'm fine," she said firmly, pushing off from him and testing her balance. Well, her leg was going to hurt like heck but at least she could stand – and she could feel the pain slowly ebbing away now. "I still can't believe this is happening…"

"Sometimes neither can I," the blond admitted with an easy smile, as the door to the shrine opened up and revealed an entrancing figure, "But I'd have it no other way…"

"The tea's ready you guys," the girl called out from the doorway before disappearing back inside.

Ryuuji Ishikawa glanced at the sailor-suited girl, "I know you're tired, but for now don't drop your henshin. It'll help you heal up quicker."

"Guess that explains the extra rounds I felt up to before," Sailor Jupiter smirked at him before the two headed inside.

* * *

Trading the dark emptiness of the Dark Kingdom for neon-lit streets of Tokyo, Nephrite found himself walking down the sidewalk heading nowhere in particular. One would think that he would be brewing up a plan to gather more energy and for what it was worth he was. He just wasn't having any luck. Planning things wasn't his forte; that role belonged to his brothers, even Jadeite for all his ineptitude. He was the brawns in this situation and besides, the last time he tried to plan something it blew up in his face horrendously and thus stuck him in the situation he was now.

There wasn't much along the street he was walking that would've grabbed his attention either. A few stores maybe, but nothing that he would consider using as part of his nonexistent plans. Still, he had to figure that anything he came up with would be a damned sight better that what Jadeite had ever come up with. The blond had tried using jewelry once and that made Sailor Moon appear; aiming to utilize the educational energy of students hadn't worked either, except awakened Sailor Mercury. And nobody could've forgotten the mess that led to Sailor Mars making her entrance, and what ultimately led to Jadeite's downfall and subsequent betrayal.

Pondering these thoughts, he passed by one store in particular that did catch his eye not because of what idea he'd had for it. No, he'd already tried this one…and now he had to deal with her.

Sailor Jupiter, the bane of existence. If it had been just the three other Senshi he could've dealt with them easily. But no, fate seemed to have it out for him and the Dark Kingdom lately and thus the Soldier of Thunder and Courage had appeared, and he still didn't know how. Where had she come from? There had only been himself, the youma, the Senshi and that girl who he somehow couldn't recall her face at this moment. Could it have been her? If so, then who was she?

The only thing he could recall were her eyes; glimmering, steel hard gems of emerald green that haunted his dreams whenever he found he could rest. Those pair of fierce, unrelenting orbs watched him and never looked away for a second. Sometimes he felt as though he were a mouse and there was some overly large feline just waiting to gobble him up.

That was where he stood with the thunder Senshi as it stood; a big game of cat and mouse, with both switching roles constantly. It was maddening. She was his equal in nearly every way and he detested it.

Giving the store one last glare, he walked on down the street still trying to come up with a way of pleasing his queen. He knew he was under the microscope now, and he needed results. Or else, it was death for him…or eternal sleep.

* * *

"Mako-chan, your leg! Ryuu-chan, how could you!" the pig-tailed blonde screeched indignantly at him as she all but pounced on Jupiter who was blushing a faint red as her friend all but coddled her bruised leg.

"Usagi-chan, really, it's fine," Jupiter was saying.

"She's a big girl, bun-head. No need to baby her all the time," Ryuuji assured her with a lopsided grin from where he sat next to Rei, who glanced at him briefly with a frown. Ryuuji just smirked back at her, not regretting the way the blonde across the table began to glare daggers at him. He couldn't help it. After Rei had mentioned that some guy – Chiba Mamoru, he recalled – had taken to calling Usagi that because of her hair buns, well, he just couldn't resist. Especially given just how flustered it made her. Of course he meant nothing by it, it was just really fun to poke at the girl who had so easily welcomed him into their little group.

For the last few weeks, they'd all taken to meeting up at the shrine where Rei lived for regular meetings regarding the situation in Tokyo. Losing him hadn't really stopped Beryl, if anything she'd stepped up and put Nephrite in charge of his old role which made things complicated.

For now, all they could really do was train and trade ideas about how to defend against Nephrite's attacks, which was usually Ami's expertise but she unfortunately couldn't attend due to her mother calling last minute about needing help down at the hospital. So that meant only Ryuuji, Rei, Usagi and Makoto were at the shrine for the meeting. Rei's grandfather had gone into town on an errand so he wouldn't be back for some time.

"Rei, do something," Usagi whined.

"I intend to, just not right now," the raven-haired girl replied calmly, but still managed to unnerve Ryuuji. Rei was as sweet as they came – gods only knew he wouldn't be here if it weren't for her – but she was scarier than hell when she got in the mood, and he knew he'd be getting it later tonight when everyone was gone.

"In any case, you girls are getting better at this every day, even you Usagi-chan," Ryuuji praised the three girls with a smile. Usagi and Jupiter blushed slightly, while Rei just sipped her tea quietly.

"That's all well and good, but we still can't even touch you. I wonder if we can ever get as good a fighter as you are," Jupiter said a bit sulkily. In the two weeks that she'd known him, she had nothing but respect for Ryuuji or rather Jadeite since he had proven himself to be not just a friend in battle, but in their normal-ish lives too. She was however, just a tad bit jealous given how close he and Rei were sometimes even when they weren't talking.

Ryuuji waved a hand dismissively, "Don't sell yourself short. The way I am now is only because of my memories beginning to come back about the past life, and that's just experience. Trust me, I was barely better than you girls when I was under Beryl."

"He's right, I did end up blasting him through a table before," Rei remarked hiding a smirk behind her tea cup as Jupiter and Usagi gaped at her, then at Ryuuji who scratched his cheek with a nervous grin.

"Y-yeah. My advice to you two – don't ever get on her badside…or call her the H-word."

"H-word," Usagi parroted with a finger to her lips, bemused.

"It's not important," the blond quickly asserted, feeling Rei's free hand pinch his thigh underneath the table. "Anyways, you girls have a lot talent and with practice, you definitely will be stronger than me by a mile."

"What about Nephrite," Jupiter asked suddenly, stunned that the question left her lips so easily. Both Usagi and Rei stared at her questioningly before looking at Ryuuji who frowned. "Was he stronger than you too?"

"Yeah he was definitely the stronger one between us," Ryuuji admitted with a grimace, briefly recalling all of the sparring sessions Beryl made him and the other Shittennou do to keep fit. And not once had he ever managed to best Nephrite who had wiped the floor with him, sometimes literally if he was feeling sour about something. "In terms of raw power Nephrite was definitely the strongest even when compared to Kunzite at times – physically anyways. Luckily he's more brawn than brain."

Usagi hugged herself, shuddering a bit, "What a scary man," she all but whimpered. "That's who we're fighting against now?"

"Unfortunately," Ryuuji said, sucking in a breath. "But I know you girls can beat him. You just need to train, learn more about your powers and your limits. If you can defeat him, then taking on Zoisite and Kunzite will be a cinch."

"Oh I have no intentions of letting that smug bastard have his way," Jupiter stated, clenching her fist. She didn't know why she felt such…anger when it came to Nephrite. Sure he was her enemy and planned to do horrible things, but it went beyond that. There wasn't just anger there either, but a bit of a thrill there too. Seeing him again…she almost couldn't wait.

Ryuuji gave her a hard look, "Remember what I said, Makoto: be patient. It may be the one thing that will give you an advantage over Nephrite, and if you don't…he'll crush you."

"Ryuu-chan!" Usagi exclaimed aghast.

"He's right, Usagi-chan," Rei spoke up, giving a similar look at Jupiter. "We can't afford to be reckless with him. We have to be ready when we get ready to take him down."

Ryuuji didn't miss the way Jupiter's eyes widened a bit at that statement but kept his thoughts to himself - for now anyway. He already had a feeling Rei was thinking similarly but time would tell if they were right. Though given how Makoto had been facing off with Nephrite one and one recently, he was willing to take that bet that something was forming between the two.

He earnestly hoped that there was something there. Even if Nephrite was a monster on the battlefield, he still cared for his comrade and wanted to somehow, free him, like Rei had with him. But ultimately the choice wasn't up to him…

It lay solely with the brown-haired girl turned warrior sitting across from them, who wanted him gone more than anything.


	4. Chapter 4

(Read, review, enjoy)

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Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

When the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, Makoto began to make her way home but found that her journey wouldn't be as simple as she first thought.

For one, despite keeping her henshin up, she'd found her leg was still stinging every time she put weight down on it so that meant it would be a long walk back to her apartment. Granted she probably could've transformed and cut her time to home in half, but Ryuuji and even Usagi had told her to not paint herself as a target since she gave out a huge aura whenever she was transformed – whatever that meant.

For another, well…it seemed some idiots just didn't know when to quit. The punks from a few weeks back that had ambushed her had returned, and had brought reinforcements this time. They'd gone to three to about seven or eight to take her on, which in some ways flattered her. But right now she was mostly annoyed.

"Goin somewhere, bitch?" She barely stifled a chuckle at seeing just how messed up this guy was given their last encounter. His nose hadn't healed right from when she'd decked him in the face, that was much was obvious and his buddies – the one she recognized anyways – hadn't fared much better.

"Well I was going to head home for the night, but if you guys need another lesson in humility I'd be happy to oblige," Makoto said bravely, but inside she was fighting not to panic.

In any other case she'd be wiping the floor with these guys no questions asked, no mercy given. Especially considering they had threatened to rape her before. But between how tired she felt and the way her leg was still throbbing, the only real hope she had of getting rid of these scum bags was to turn into Sailor Jupiter.

Really, secret identities were a literal pain.

The leader chuckled darkly, his buddies echoing him as he grinned down at her. "Big talk coming from a girl who needed a guy to save her last time," he sneered, leaning down until he was nose to nose with her.

That comment had nearly set her off at first, but then she remember just who had saved her and smirked. "Yeah, one guy who wiped the floor with all three of you from what I remember too," she hissed back at him, her smirk widening when she saw his eyes burn with rage. Not a good idea to antagonize the guy, but she couldn't resist.

"Oh don't worry," he all but growled at her. "Once we're done with you, the boys and me will be keeping an eye out for pretty boy whenever he decides to pop up. And what better way to get his attention than to beat the snot out of the little damsel he rescued?"

Makoto's eyes narrowed with a quickness and before she knew it, she struck out with a punch and caved the guy's nose in – again. She was stunned for a minute, wondering just why that word had set her off like it had.

Then reality checked in, with a whole lot of bags in tow.

"You bitch!" one of the punks yelled and pounced on her, hoping to take her down while she was distracted.

But her fighting instincts that she'd honed for years and years, plus her recent training with Ryuuji started kicking in.

The punk sailed over her head as she ducked underneath, thrusting her fist into his chest as he sailed over into the wall, groaning and clutching his chest.

Her head rotated and tracked two more approaching, intent on making her pay dearly for her defiance. She quickly showed them that wasn't the smartest of ideas by lashing out with her good leg, sweeping her foot across their faces and sending them flying into the alleyway.

She was about to deal with the rest of them when her world turned bright white, pain blinding her as something – or someone – kicked her leg with almost enough force to break it. The cry that escaped her throat would've had her filling with shame if it weren't for the pain surging through her body, forcing her to her knees with a few painful gasps.

"You see boys?" the voice of the ring leader came back, noticeably more nasally than before she noted. "All ya gotta do sometimes is hit'em in the right spot, and they'll do anything you want."

His laughter was joined by the others in the gang, and Makoto suddenly realized just how vulnerable she was.

"Now then, since you broke something of mine, I think it's only fair I break something of yours. Hold her for me."

Makoto suddenly felt her limbs seized by the punks, thrashing and spitting at them as they held her firm while the ring leader walked over and kneeled down in front of her, his meaty hands moving to grab her bruised leg. He must've realized how scared she was because his grin turned positively sadistic.

"Don't worry, this will only hurt like hell."

"Will it now?" a new voice, much deeper suddenly barged into the scene and had everybody freezing. The punks because of the newcomer and realizing they were down a good number of their original force. Makoto had froze because although the punks had no idea who had just walked up, she did…and this time, she really was afraid.

Because standing there like a monolith, his arms crossed over his uniformed chest was General Nephrite, one of the Dark Kingdom's Shittenou.

* * *

_"I am displeased with you, General. Our great ruler grows impatient with your lack of progress."_

"I have the makings of a plan in place, my queen," Nephrite tried to assure her, more for himself than anything. Lately the queen had been getting too nosy in his affairs where she had simply contacted him once and left it at that. But recently, notably after Jadeite's one-eighty he was getting probes from her almost three times in a single day! His privacy was almost nil now and that, along with another certain unexplainable feeling was making him more irritated.

But if he had learned one thing in his long time as a general it was this – getting snippy with your lord and master was bound to get you killed. After all, he'd seen too many ambitious and pompous youma get obliterated for letting some wisecrack leave their lips in Beryl's presence.

_"Don't give me excuses,"_ she snarled. _"I expect results from you, Nephrite. Not procrastination."_

"My queen, forgive me, but all plans are doomed to fail without the proper way of executing them which is why I have been delayed. I promise you I already have a plan in the works but have not found the proper way to execute it due to multiple hindrances."

_"Such as?"_

She was calling his bluff – something he expected she would do. You didn't get to be one of Beryl's elite agents and not pick up some things. "The Sailor Senshi first and foremost, not to mention their new ally. The brats have already proven how well they can function in a group just by themselves and when he's involved, well it's no contest."

Beryl scoffed. _"You are telling me you cannot best one traitorous fool? A fool who you trounced repeatedly I might add?"_

Nephrite winced, "Not when the fire Senshi is anywhere remotely nearby." During one of his first real attempts at taking revenge on Jadeite for his insurrection, he'd earned the distinct displeasure of royally pissing off the soldier of fire and passion. What an embarrassment that had been. Sent running with his tail between his legs at the sight – or rather the fire – of a girl who was no more a girl than a child, but one that controlled fire in all its dangerous aspects.

_"…Indeed,"_ Beryl all but hissed out that acknowledgement. _"As much as I hate to admit it, perhaps you present a valid point. Separating Jadeite and his harlot would be a prudent course for weakening our enemies, so long as you can assure me you will be able to deal with the remaining Senshi."_

Nephrite all but grinned at the prospect, "Of that my queen, you can have no doubt."

_Unless she's there,_ he privately added to himself. The newest addition to the Senshi complicated matters in ways even he couldn't quite figure out yet.

_"Very well my general, then go. Determine your execution and complete your directive."_

Nephrite couldn't help but feel a wave of relief as he felt Beryl's presence leave his mind. If anyone had seen him talking aloud to himself they would've pegged him as crazy – if they could get near him that is. As high as he was above the streets, there was no one to hear him but the birds.

The sun had long since disappeared and had cast the city into a scene of black, illuminated only by the sea of glittering lights of the sky-reaching spires. Nephrite took a moment to soak in the scenery, idling wondering if things like this would still exist if – when, he corrected firmly – Beryl took over the world when she found the Silver Crystal.

Suddenly, every single sense inside of him flared as if struck by hot iron, the surge of pain causing him to be harshly ripped from his musings. He looked around wildly, trying to hone in on the location of his attacker but soon realized, he hadn't been struck. His uniform was still in pristine condition and there were no wounds on his body upon further examination. So where had it come from?

Stretching out with his senses, he quickly homed in the source – it was close. A quick warp brought him within walking distance of it, but what he had expected to find was leagues apart from what he found.

Nephrite had tried long and hard to separate who he truly was from who he pretended to be in the human world, young man by the name of Daichi Akihara with certain difficulties. Some times he was successful, and he was able to completely set aside the false identity of his whenever he drained the lives of "Humans" like he played. But others, like now for instance…finding the very same girl that "Daichi" had grown acquainted with accosted by a gang of punks…

Well, maybe Daichi wasn't completely a different person after all.

"Don't worry," one of them was saying, a particularly menacing blob of an oaf that was leering down at the brunette, "this will only hurt like hell."

"Will it now?" he said upon walking right up behind the gang, stuffing down a surge of sadistic glee at their astonished expressions. Some actually looked worried, some looked indignant like the oaf. Others just looked terrified – like the girl.

"Who da hell are you!" one of them sneered.

"Someone who has a vested interest in that girl you're messing with," Nephrite replied.

"Yeah? Well buzz off. Finder's keepers, loser's wee- Ack!" one of the punks started to retort, but was cut off mid-sentence by a force of energy that sent him careening into the side of the building.

Nephrite swept his gaze over the others, "Any other objections?"

"Get'im!" another punk shouted and three of them rushed Nephrite.

Having fought against one of the most skilled fighters on the planet, Nephrite made short work of them, sending them flying into trash cans, walls and even the oddly parked car with barely any effort. All that left was the brute of a man that was leaning over the brunette was still watching him with an undisguised awe.

"You're one cocky bastard, ain't ya?" the oaf growled and flipped out a knife, brandishing it in a threatening manner.

Nephrite easily sidestepped the sluggish swipe at his body, lashing out with a kick that sent the brute tripping over and planting his face into a car door, sliding down to the ground. As he tried to reach for it, Nephrite called the knife to his hands with a flick of his wrist and held it up to the punk's throat. "You aren't even worth the trash that people throw out," he spat out, pressing the blade deeper into his throat.

"That's enough!"

Both Nephrite and the punk turned towards the one who shouted, watching as the brunette stood up on unsteady legs and glared at both of them.

"I said…that's enough," she went on, focusing her glare solely on Nephrite.

"They were trying to violate you," Nephrite argued.

"That doesn't mean you can kill them for it!" she shot back, stunning Nephrite with her defiance. "Let them go."

A part of Nephrite found it hilarious that this girl was giving him, a feared general of the Dark Kingdom orders. But another part that had been surfacing lately…found himself complying.

Turning back to the oaf who actually shrunk back when Nephrite got in his face, he growled, "Don't let me see you or your crew's slimy faces again. Because if I do, you won't be heard from again." Nephrite released the punk, who scrambled off with a whimper down the street, cursing the entire way.

* * *

Makoto watched as the one who had been tormenting her for almost a year now finally disappeared down the street, like the coward he truly was. Despite her front, she was relieved. Hopefully she wouldn't have to deal with that scum bag anymore or at the very least, he'd think twice before coming after her again. As for the rest of his buddies, all it would take is a quick call to the police and that little issue would be tidied up as well. They were just cronies and since their boss had just fled with his tail between his legs, she wouldn't be seeing them ever again.

When he was finally out of sight, her adrenaline rush finally hit a block…and the pain returned with full force. She fell to her knees with a sharp cry, the pulsing in her bruised leg tripled by the kick she got. Being in her Henshin had helped for a bit, but she still needed rest for it to properly heal.

Rest that she wasn't likely to get now thanks to the intervention of her rescuer.

Makoto wasn't afraid to admit that, when she saw him, she thought that her identity had been discovered and that he had come to finish her off while she was weak, though she hated to admit that last bit. She had been afraid, truly afraid for the first time in a long time.

But then, the dark kingdom general, a man who was supposed to be her enemy, the enemy of humans – _saved _her. And then she had to stop him from permanently ending the life of someone who, in any other case, would've been happy to see rot. So why had she stopped him?

Before her musings could go any further, she felt a dark shape loom in front of her, looking up to find Nephrite kneeling there in front of her eyeing her leg.

"You're hurt."

"It's nothing," she quickly asserted, but had to bite back a scream when he touched her leg.

"It's anything but," he grunted, taking her leg more gently this time.

Makoto forced back a flush from filling her cheeks at his touch, not expecting the grasp of someone so evil to be like this. "Why do you care? I know who you are and I've seen what you do to people. Why bother to help me?"

Nephrite didn't answer her. All he did he was frown thoughtfully, as if he himself was truly stumped.

She started to put weight on her legs, "I can take care of my- Agh!" And promptly fell on her rear, the pain in her leg worse than ever before.

Nephrite studied her for a few moments, as if debating what to do next and seemed to decide on something. Reaching out, he took her into his arms in a prince carry much to her indignation.

"Hey-what the-!? Put me down now you creep!"

"Stop squirming," he tried to order, but she wasn't having it.

"I said put me down! Don't make me scream."

"You need medical assistance, or at least something to help treat that bruise of yours."

"I'll be fine-!"

"NO!" he cut her off firmly, stunning her. "You won't. Now stop arguing and hold on. There should be a store around here with the proper supplies." And before she could start up her protests again, he warped with her and vanished from sight.


	5. Chapter 5

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

The sound of the wind roared through her ears as she raced through the forest, each rapid step of her feet kicking up dirt and grass behind her. The sun peeked through the tree top overhead, casting little pinpricks of light here and there as she ran. She could smell the scent of the nearby lake as well, and it put a smile on her face knowing that she would be the one to win this bout.

They'd played this game over and over, each time with a different victor in various circumstances. She had won her fair share – in fact, they had been grand for their worth but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be the dominant one, the one who held the rank. So here she was, running through the forest hoping to finally get a one up on her dance partner.

Months had gone by and finally, they were tied. All she had to do was let fate take the reigns and then she'd administer the coup de grace.

Slowing her momentum, she came to a stop near a formation of old ruins that she'd seen once before but right now she didn't care about that. She'd been running for a while now, putting as much distance between herself and her opponent as she could after what she had pulled. After all, she'd finally gotten the drop on him and as she had expected, he was none too thrilled about it.

Her training kicked in there, her ears picking up the plodding footsteps of her predator as he searched for her. She knelt behind a rock and watched the clearing, watching and waiting for something to appear.

She didn't have to wait long, but it wasn't what she had been expecting.

Her instincts kicked in at the last second, just barely rolling under the angry swipe of a ferocious looking beast that towered over her, its shadow threatening to swallow her form whole. Its dark brown eyes leered down at her, before giving out a roar that thundered through the forest.

Any other girl like her would be running screaming, but she wasn't like them. She'd never been actually.

Lashing out with a kick, she slammed her leg into the side of the great beast expecting it to howl with pain at her strike. It howled, but with indignation rather than agony – directed right at her. A swipe of its massive paw caught her off-guard this time, flinging her into one of the stone structures jutting out of the ground. The impact had her seeing stars, but she could still make out the dark blurry form of her attacker.

The beast gave a triumphant roar and charged her, intent on making her its next meal.

Then another roar came that sounded eerily like that of another, ferocious beast only this one she recognized. It, or rather he stood before her and blocked her view of the other beast as her vision started to clear up. The broad, muscular back of a man filled her view and she could pick out the way his stance was – aggressive, territorial even.

The beast gave a growl and with one final glare in her direction, it trotted off and left the two of them alone.

The man turned towards her, his face blotted out by a ray of sunlight that was shining down into her face now and held out a hand, his voice sending a shiver through her body. "Looks like the warrior proved to be the damsel, this time."

* * *

Makoto jerked awake, looking around wildly for a minute before relaxing. She was alone now, and her rescuer – and how she hated to even acknowledge it – was nowhere in sight. More to the point her leg, upon examination, had been bandaged and didn't really hurt anymore. There was a dull ache of course but that was the furthest thing from her mind right now. Even her present surroundings – an apartment not all that dissimilar to hers from the looks of it – took a back seat to her current thoughts.

She palmed her forehead, closing her eyes in fierce concentration, trying to focus.

_What was that, _she thought. _A dream maybe but it felt so real…_

"You've awakened." The sound of that voice made her jump slightly, swallowing hard when she saw the dark uniformed man come into view.

"Where am I?" she demanded, trying to sound brave.

"A safe place," was Nephrite's answer as he walked over and knelt by her feet.

"You expect me to just buy that, general?"

Nephrite suddenly went stock rigid, slowly turning to stare at her with a look she hadn't yet seen on him, even when she was Jupiter – surprise. "What…did you just say?"

"I…" even Makoto was stunned by her forwardness. Before she had been terrified of this man, but in the span of a few seconds she suddenly gained her courage back. What had that dream done to her? "Forget it."

The man gave her a hard look, clearly not pleased with her avoidance but turned back to her bandaged leg again. "The swelling seems to have gone down."

Makoto watched him care to her with a mystified look on her face. Was this really happening? Why of all peopled would her enemy be helping her, even if he didn't know who she really was. She was a human!And he was…

Wait, wasn't he human too? Ryuuji was, so Nephrite and the rest of the Shittenou had to be.

"Why?"

His eyes never left her leg as he replied, "What?"

"Why did you save me back there? I'm just a nameless girl, so why-"

"I don't know," Nephrite answered, his answer shocking both herself and from the looks of it, him. "It…it doesn't matter anyways."

Makoto raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Uh-huh, wanna try that again so I actually believe it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so drop it."

"Try me."

Both of them locked eyes, reddish brown clashing with emerald green with neither willing to back down until Nephrite sighed.

"…I felt it."

Makoto's eyebrows shot into her hairline, "Eh?"

"I…I felt that someone was in pain, like…like it was my own. I traced the source and it led me…to you." Nephrite's eyes locked with hers again only this time, Makoto found it hard to keep her own stare.

"That's crazy," she said, but something in her heart was whispering something, something she couldn't quite tell but she knew it was important. She could feel it.

Then, Nephrite did something that neither side of her had ever seen him do – he laughed. "It does, doesn't it?" he admitted, giving a small smile that made Makoto's heart thump in her chest. "All of this sounds ridiculous but yet, that's how it happened." His face suddenly darkened, "And I found you being harassed by those…scum."

"I'm fine," she found herself saying, part of her screaming at her to quite conversing with the ENEMY. But her heart was doing strange things right now and seemed to have a modicum of control over her thoughts and actions.

For instance, she had the inexplicable desire to hug him right now and it was taking everything she had to keep from doing just that. None of this was making any sense!

Nephrite seemed to shake off whatever trance he was in and looked at her again, "Either way, it's not safe for someone like you to be wandering out by yourself at night."

And just like that, her heart did a one-eighty and her pride came back in full force, with all the anger that had been getting stuffed back. "And what's that supposed to be mean?"

"This city is dangerous, and lowlifes like those are barely a drop in the ocean that inhabit it," Nephrite argued.

Makoto's eyes narrowed, "I can handle myself," she shot back.

"As you were doing so well before I showed up," Nephrite remarked.

"Hey! I took down three of them before they kicked me!"

"And I took down the rest with relative ease."

"Ok smartass, how about _you_ try getting your leg busted up and see how _you_ fare!?"

The two of them stared wide-eyed at each other, stunned by their outbursts and shook their heads.

Makoto spotted her bag nearby and got off the couch, scooping it up and aiming a glare at Nephrite who glared right back. "I'm leaving, is that an issue for you – general?"

Again he flinched at that, but bore it stoically, "You're free to leave any time you like," he answered, rising to his feet as well.

Makoto made her way to the door and moved to open it, but something stopped her. Something that made her say the next words that came out of her mouth, "...thank you."

She didn't see Nephrite's head shoot up at that, nor did she see how his eyes widened dramatically.

She saw none of that as she began to make her way out of the apartment complex and back onto the street, on the way to her own apartment. All the while thoughts whirled through her mind, developing notions that she just knew would've been ill-received by her friends if were to ever voice them. But that didn't stop her from thinking of it – was there really more to Nephrite than him being just her enemy, her equal? What if-?

She shook her head wildly at the notion.

No. No she wouldn't think anymore about this. She had class in the morning, and Nephrite would pull something again soon. One act of kindness – if she could call it that – wouldn't excuse his actions. People had gotten hurt because of him…

_But what if it wasn't his choice,_ a little voice whispered in her mind before she shoved it away.

It didn't matter what Nephrite's choice was; he was her enemy, and that was that.

And damn her heart for wishing that it wasn't.

* * *

(I know, it's a day early and there's a reason for that. Some developments have come up that may/may not affect my writing schedule. So chapters might start coming a bit late than they usually come. Anyways, hopefully you all are enjoying this so far because we've still got a bit to go. This is going to be a teeny bit longer than MATD and hopefully the quality won't diminish from that; maybe it'll even improve. Guess we'll see.)


	6. Chapter 6

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

Nephrite found himself wandering around in the city again, heading nowhere in particular but just wanting to be away from the Dark Kingdom for now. Zoisite's ribbing was getting on his nerves and he still hadn't come up with another way to gather energy. His brother was chomping at the bit to take over but there was no way he was going to let him, not while he still breathed!

And Beryl still seemed to trust in him – for now.

So he was using that bit of trust to get some time away from, as humans called it, his job so he could come back with a clearer head. But hours had gone by and nothing had come to him, with frustration starting to set in…among other things. It sometimes baffled him that he still needed to eat but he strangely welcomed the thought of it, even though he was supposed to be a superior being to humans.

Soon enough he caught the whiff of food and followed it to its source, coming to a stop in front of a place called "Crown Arcade". The name stirred something within him but he brushed the feeling aside, stepping through the doors and entering the building. It wasn't that busy with a few patrons loitering here and there, but that was hardly what mattered to him right now.

Walking up to an empty stool at the end of the bar, he took a seat and waited, until a young man with unruly sandy blond hair walked over with a pleasant smile. "Hey there, haven't seen you around before. New to Juuban?"

"Sort of," Nephrite answered.

The man smiled even wider at him. "Well I'm glad you made this place one of your first stops. What can I get ya?"

"Anything that makes hunger nonexistent," Nephrite all but growled, the pain in his stomach growing worse as he pulled out and slid a plastic card toward the man.

But man didn't seem to take any offense to it and nodded almost in a sage like manner as he plucked up the card, "I know just the thing. Be right back!"

Alone once again, Nephrite was about to go back to his musings when he felt a sudden twinge in his mind, a familiar feeling but one he hadn't felt since-

The doors to the arcade slid open, admitting the very same girl that had been haunting his dreams as of late. She looked around for a minute, Nephrite quickly turning back around so she wouldn't see him – something that surprised even himself – before walking up to say hello to the young man from before.

"Makoto! I wasn't expecting you here so early," the man said warmly.

_Makoto, _Nephrite logged in his mind. So that was her name. He hadn't exactly been able to ask for it the other night because of, well, things.

"I'm meeting up with the girls today but it looks like they haven't shown up yet. Even Usagi-chan's not here."

"Right, the world must be ending. Anyways make yourself comfortable and I'll get to you in a minute."

"Kay." And with that she walked off, heading towards the booths in the back with Nephrite watching her out of the corner of his eye until she got to her desired seat. He knew it was wrong to stare, but he just couldn't take his eyes off of her…that is, until her eyes flicked in his direction. Recognition came to her slowly, but once it did, her smile was like the sun coming out after a storm.

Nephrite suddenly felt his throat go dry, and part of him started to panic as she started to walk over to him. He cursed himself for being so nervous all of sudden. It was just one human girl! What kind of power did she have over him?

"I don't suppose you remember me?" she said when she finally got up to him, fidgeting with her hands nervously.

"Hard not to," Nephrite replied, recalling their first meeting with a bit of a smile. "But I never caught your name."

Makoto flushed a bit at that, "Y-yeah, well a lot of things happened before that. It's Kino, Kino Makoto, and-?"

"Akihara Daichi," Nephrite answered with an easy smile, somewhat feeling more comfortable around the girl. Once quick glance downward noted that her leg had healed up nicely, which was a relief. "A pleasure to meet you, Kino-san."

"Same here," Makoto said, and bravely took the empty seat next to him. "Is this your first time here? I haven't seen you at the arcade before."

"It is. I was in the neighborhood and wanted some food, so eventually I ended up here."

"Ah, well you're in good hands then! I haven't been coming here long but Motoki makes some of the best food you'll ever taste, even by my standards!"

Nephrite lifted an eyebrow at that, curious, "_Your_ standards? You mean you could do better?" he said somewhat teasingly, the general inside him screaming at him to stop flirting with the girl.

Flirting eh...?

The brunette's face rapidly colored scarlet, her eyes darting to the side a bit, "W-well, I can but I'm not that good-"

"Not that good?" a voice said incredulously, both of them turning to the sandy blond haired man that had arrived with Nephrite's order. "Clearly you don't remember laughing at the way my face looked when I tried that bento you brought me. And here I thought heaven didn't exist!"

Makoto flushed even deeper under the scrutiny of the two men, "D-don't you have customers to tend to?!" she all but bit out, thoroughly embarrassed.

Motoki gave a cheeky grin but decided to take pity on the poor girl, walking off to deal with the newcomers that were starting to flood in.

Makoto wasn't the only one relieved by his departure either. Nephrite had been aiming a slight glare at the man as he walked away, feeling a strange irritation at the man's closeness with the girl sitting next to him. The feeling gradually left him as the man left but he could still feel it, buried but not gone.

"So...," Makoto started up the conversation once she regained her courage, "are you from around here?"

"Unfortunately no," Nephrite replied, seeing her shoulders slump a bit, he added, "but I have developed quite an interest in learning more about this place."

She quickly brightened up at that, "Well in that case, maybe I could show you around sometime? I know a bit about this place, probably more than you do."

"I'd like that," Nephrite said with an ever growing smile that he just knew was making the girl's face. For some reason, he couldn't find it in him to not be enchanted by that look of hers. "It's a date, Kino-san."

This time, Makoto went red right to her roots and her eyes began searching all around for something, anything to get her out of this awkward situation, "Yes well um – isn't your food getting cold? And – oh hey guys, what took you so long?!"

And with that she bid a hasty retreat, rushing over to the group of girls, one of them who had blue hair of all things, but it was the lone male of that group that caught his eye. A man that looked eerily like a certain wayward brother of his, but that was impossible right? Jadeite was a lot of things, but careless was the least of it.

Finally addressing his lukewarm burger and fries, Nephrite set about filling himself with much needed sustenance all the while his thoughts revolved a certain emerald-eyed brunette that made him feel so…comfortable? No, that wasn't it but he did like being around her, when she wasn't giving him the scum-of-the-earth look when he was his true self.

But perhaps there was a way to change that…

* * *

Makoto couldn't decide whether she had just escaped Hell, or been thrown into a different version of it as she found herself under fire from the ribbings of a certain pig-tailed blonde. Of course it didn't help that she kept glancing out of the corner of her eye every few minutes to the broad-shouldered shape still sat at the bar of the arcade, her eyes tracing the lean outlines of what she just knew had to be his muscles. Even when just sitting next to him, she just knew he was taller than her too and already that got her interested.

To Usagi, that was like blood in the water for the shark that she was.

"Ara, Mako-chan, don't you wanna spend more time with mister mysterious over there? It's ok we don't mind, right girls?"

Next to Makoto buried behind the ever-present book she was reading, Ami just pinched her brow with one hand, "Please don't drag me into this, Usagi-chan. Mako's business is her own anyways."

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you're not curious about that guy over there!" Usagi aimed her look at the two others next to her, the only real couple out of their entire group.

"Usagi-chan, don't you have anything better to do than speculate on other's love lives," Rei said with weary tone. "It's none of our business anyways what Makoto and that man do with their time."

"Ryuu-chan," Usagi all but whined at the only male of the group, "you're curious about him too, right? I know you are, seeing as how you gave him a look before we sat down."

Ryuuji rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "True, I am curious about him," he trailed off, adding when he saw the way his fellow blonde smiled at him, "but like Rei said, it's none of our business."

"You're no fair!" Usagi pouted, crossing her arms like a petulant child. "I wish we at least knew his name…"

"It's Daichi," Makoto finally spoke, and immediately regretted it when several eyes latched onto her. She swallowed hard but pushed onward, "His name is Akihara Daichi."

"Ooh, so you did get to spend some time with him then!" Usagi's teasing started back up in full force. "I'll bet Motoki's really jealous right now!"

Where it any other time Makoto would be blushing like crazy at the notion, but instead she found herself strangely ok with that. Sure, she still thought Motoki was one of the most handsome men she'd ever laid eyes on, but compared to Daichi… Well, there was no contest. Being sat next to Daichi had her heart racing a million miles a second, and even just catching his eye made it feel like her heart was going to explode.

Was this love? It couldn't be, could it? She hadn't loved anyone since Sempai and look how that turned out. And while she wasn't sure if Daichi thought the same of her, he had saved her that one time and she liked to think he enjoyed having her around.

His smile popped into her mind again, and this time she couldn't resist the blush that formed over her face.

* * *

_"General."_

"My Queen?" Nephrite answered, standing atop one of the higher buildings in the city. He'd left the arcade shortly after finishing his food, but not before Makoto had caught him and reminded him of their little "date" soon. He didn't really know what they were going to do, but as long as he could spend more time with her he was willing to do it. Beryl's presence began to flooding into his mind, forcing him to beat hasty retreat after he gave a quick excuse to leave.

_"I trust that you've had plenty of time to find out about this execution of yours?"_

Nephrite winced, "I am still working on that, my queen."

_"No, you aren't,"_ Beryl corrected, making his eyes widen._ "I've given you plenty of time General, but our great ruler grows impatient – as have I. So I will instead have you as security for another plan."_

_"I don't understand,"_ Nephrite answered, frowning. Had Beryl finally lost trust with him? What had happened?

_"The only thing you need to understand is that you will be aiding Zoisite in drawing out our enemies, so that we may wipe them out in one swift move."_ Beryl's voice managed to be both condescending and triumphant. _"He is already at work as we speak. It will not be long before the Senshi intervene. When they do, my general, you will be there to stop them. Kill the Senshi, especially that brat Sailor Moon."_

"And what of Jadeite? There's no way he will just ignore this"

_"He is an enemy, general. And like all our enemies, he will be destroyed. I trust you are up to the task?"_

Nephrite clenched his fists, frustrated at being backed into a corner like he had. But he had no choice; Beryl still held his leash, and he was but a dog that heeded her commands. "I am, my queen."

_"Good,"_ Beryl purred in his ear. _"Go then, and leave nothing standing, my lion."_

The connection faded, and with it so did the last of Nephrite's hesitation. Casting a look out over the city one more time, the city that was soon to become yet another battlefield, he let out a thunderous roar that echoed for miles.

* * *

Landing atop another roof, she stopped as her ears picked up the roar that echoed throughout the city. Her green eyes narrowed. A challenge, she realized. Her sparring partner was about to enter the ring again, and she felt that this would be a much different bout than the rest of their encounters. This would be one they would be playing for keeps.

"Jupiter, come on! We've got to stop this madness!" Sailor Mars shouted to her, standing beside Jadeite who also had his gaze turned skyward. He'd heard it too…

Casting one final look behind her, Jupiter took off after her teammates, her gaze focused only on the gathering of energy that was being collected atop one of the city towers.

This was her duty; this was her birthright. She was a sailor Senshi, a warrior of love and justice. There could be no more hesitations. She had to stop these monsters from threatening everything she cared about, and everyone she-

Daichi's smile popped into her head once more, and it deepened her resolve.

She would protect this city, no matter what. There was someone she wanted to get to know when this was all over, and no one was going to stop that.

* * *

(So yeah, I got a few PMs that said some people weren't exactly thrilled with how I handled Makoto and Nephrite's first meeting. I was a little reluctant to write that chapter myself because of that very reason, but I couldn't figure out any other way for the two meet outside of their alter-egos - or well, outside of Sailor Jupiter in Makoto's case. Makoto is supposed to feel conflicted between fighting Nephrite or trying to get him to stop, but Daichi's presence in her life throws a monkey wrench into that plan. Of course, once the truth comes out heads will be rolling but we're still a bit from that. I sincerely hope that makes sense to you guys, otherwise I ask you to just bear with me. There is a reason to my madness.)


	7. Chapter 7

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

In the span of minutes, Tokyo had fallen under a spell of darkness that had leeched away the precious life energy of its people, milky white streams of energy gathering in a collection atop one of the city's towers. Like a conductor in front of an orchestra, Zoisite played his symphony of ruin for all the world to hear and witness. So much energy had been gathered, more than any had been even with Jadeite behind the wheel, and the gathering wasn't stopping. Because this was no longer about gathering energy, no, this was a message to the few that dared continued to stand in the Dark Kingdom's way.

Nephrite stood nearby, his sense alert for any kind of retaliation from their "guests", watching as Zoisite continued to bleed the city dry. Whatever part of him that would've abhorred this was firmly locked away, behind lock and key. General Nephrite was in command of his own will once again, whereas Daichi Akihara had taken a backseat.

After what seemed like forever, he finally picked up the telltale auras of the Senshi as well as their ally. They were moving quickly, drawing closer with every passing second – they would be here soon. What he found strange however was that he couldn't sense the aura of the person they were trying to trap. He found it odd that the so-called leader of the Senshi would be sitting this one out, but he brushed it off. Zoisite would be annoyed but what did that matter? All that mattered was that the Senshi would not be leaving here tonight.

"Blast it all, where is she?!" Zoisite ranted. "Don't tell me she's going to decide now of all times to be a coward!"

Nephrite just rolled his eyes, watching for the sign of the Senshi getting closer.

He didn't have to wait long.

A green flash of light erupted a good deal of distance away, but it soon grew brighter, and was soon accompanied by different flashes in red and blue.

"They're here." Nephrite said calmly.

"What, where?" Zoisite squawked but Nephrite was already moving.

The bolt of green lightning, blazing red fire and icy blue water each impacted the tower roof like an artillery barrage, Zoisite only surviving thanks to his hastily made barrier.

Nephrite, who had jumped off the roof, was falling to the ground like a meteor and let out a ferocious roar as he descended. He landed right in front of the Senshi, forcing them to screech to a halt to avoid being caught up in the man-made earthquake. When the dust settled, the Shittenou rose from a crouch slowly and eyed the four individuals. "So you've come, Senshi…traitor," Nephrite spat that last word as he spotted Jadeite.

"Nice to see you too, Neph," Jadeite replied dryly.

"Where is your vaunted leader, hmm? Hiding doesn't seem here style…oh wait."

"Shut your mouth!" Sailor Mars shouted, throwing a fireball at Nephrite which bounced harmlessly off his barrier. "You're just a monster, taking people's energy like this!"

Nephrite smirked at her, his eyes trailing over Jadeite's form, "Then does that mean your ally over there would have been one as well?"

Mars just glared at him, fire beginning to outline her form.

"Mars, don't let him bait you," Sailor Mercury cautioned, giving Nephrite a hard look. "We are not going let this continue. You have a choice here, Nephrite – stand aside, now."

Nephrite let out a laugh, "And let Zoisite have all the fun? I believe you girls still owe me a round after our last little encounter, especially you fire Senshi. I didn't take kindly to your little prank last time."

"Then let me make myself perfectly clear then," Mars stated ominously, holding up one gloved hand of fire for emphasis, her eyes narrowed to almost slits.

Suddenly, the fourth member of their group stepped forward, bravely approaching the Shittenou. "Your fight is with me, Shittenou. We still have a score to settle," Sailor Jupiter said, cracking her knuckles with a determined expression settling onto her features.

Nephrite's smirk widened to a full blown grin, "That we do, thunder Senshi. But are you really going to send your little friends up to meet Zoisite? He's even more cruel than I am."

"Cruel maybe, but he's a coward too," Jadeite remarked. "We can handle him just fine, right ladies?"

"Don't start acting cool," Mars retorted, making Jadeite deflate a bit. "After all, we beat you – both of you. How hard could he be?"

"You have no – hergh!" Nephrite's laugh was cut off by a surprise kick from Jupiter, who sent him flying into a nearby wall.

Jupiter shot a look back at her teammates, "Go, I'll take care of this guy!"

"Jupiter-!"

"GO!" she shouted, and the others didn't need to be told twice. They took off in the direction of the tower, Jadeite lingering for a moment before doing the same in the direction that Mars went.

Nephrite shook his head a bit to get rid of the cobwebs, his vision clearing up until he found a green and white figure standing before him, glaring at him. Rising to his feet, he glared back, "What happened to no sucker punches?"

"That was before you threatened everyone in the city," she shot back, settling into a fighting stance.

Nephrite lifted an eyebrow at this, "What, not going to try and take me out in one shot this time?"

"I don't need my powers to deal with a freak like you!" she shot back, almost venomously.

Nephrite's eyebrow lifted even higher. Strange, she was acting a bit off tonight. Their bouts before were heated and they hurled insults at each other, but the sheer hate in her voice…it wasn't like her. Of course he couldn't claim to really know her, but this was a new side of her he hadn't seen yet. It can't have been just this move. "Well unfortunately I won't be able to give you the same courtesy."

"What are you waiting for then?" she snapped.

She was eager to get started – too eager, he noted. Before she would've drawn this out not unlike he was trying to do, but now…it was like she had changed. Had found something to drive her…but what was it?

His musings were shattered when a green boot came flying at his face, narrowly ducking under it and slamming a hard palm into her chest, sending her sliding backward. He wasn't going to give her a chance to retaliate, rushing in with his fists drawn, cocking one back to aim directly at her face. When his fist was inches from connecting, she shoved it aside and thrust her elbow into his jaw, throwing him off balance and then knocked on his rear by a follow up kick.

"You seem especially brutal today, Jupiter," he coughed. "Does this city really mean that much to you?"

"It's more the fact that you are unfazed with threatening so many innocent people that's pissing me off," she shot back, folding her arms and glaring down at him with

"All of this is necessary for the resurrection of our great ruler. So long as my queen wishes it, I will obey."

"Then you're nothing more than a dog," Jupiter scoffed, rushing forward to slam her boot into his stomach.

Nephrite's head shot up at that, catching her boot with one hand and yanking hard, throwing her off balance and making her fall on her rear this time. He rose above her and glared down at her, "I am no one's dog, Senshi. I am the king of beasts, a lion of my own making."

Suddenly, thunder began to boom and a trickle of rain started to come down, beginning to drench Nephrite as Jupiter began to rise.

"A lion? Don't make me laugh," she hissed, getting to her feet, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "Lions are noble creatures, proud and strong. You – you're nothing like them. You're just a dog, nothing else but."

Nephrite's gaze turned dark, "Watch your words, girl," he snarled. "I can break you easily."

"Then prove it to me, Shittenou. Prove to me that you are this menacing monster, that everyone should fear. Prove to me that you are my enemy, and that I am yours. Because then and only then will I acknowledge you as a lion, because if you are a lion," her eyes connected with his and seemed to almost glow green, as the flash of lighting lit up her face, "then I am an amazon."

* * *

As the storm continued to rage above, she watched him digest her words, his face going from astonishment to mockery, finally to anger…rage even.

Good. She wanted him to hate her. Because if he hated her, then she could put to bed these annoying hesitations she was feeling.

She had been so sure of it when she was coming here, so sure that when she came face to face with him again, she would be able to do her duty. To stop the bad guy, save the city, be the guardian she was born to be.

That lasted all up to the point when she found herself here, not as Kino Makoto but as Sailor Jupiter, facing the Shittenou of the dark kingdom. The man that had saved her the night before was nowhere to be found, instead replaced by the loyal agent of her enemy. But even so, seeing him stirred up feelings within her that she thought she buried the night she left him. And with that came all of these questions:

Did this have to be the way of things?

Jadeite had been like Nephrite at some point, too, right?

What if they didn't have to fight then? What if…what if he could be like Jadeite was to them, to Rei, to-

These thoughts had ignited a sense of rage that she hadn't felt in years, and she had channeled it into thrashing the man before her with all her might. With all the skill she had honed in herself for years and years she pummeled it into him as best she could, all so she could bury these doubts.

But, despite all her rage towards him, she still couldn't bring herself to use her powers against him. It would've been so easy to just wipe the floor with him with just one of her attacks – she'd already proven it by catching him off-guard before. She could feel the power wanting to burst out, the soldier in her wanting to just smite this evil monster into ashes…

But she couldn't. And that just made her even more mad.

"…you want me to prove I am your enemy?" Nephrite said, almost quietly. But the fury in his voice was evident, and Jupiter could feel the energy in the air start to rise. "Then be careful what you wish for!"

Jupiter leapt into the air, and Nephrite slammed both hands down onto the roof, sending a shockwave of energy rippling across the rooftop. A roar from below had her on the defensive, blocking a bolt of dark energy that slammed into her crossed arms like a wrecking ball, sending her careening through the air until she landed on a distant rooftop.

Thunder boomed and lighting crashed down nearby, illuminating the night sky.

"Die, Senshi!" Nephrite shouted, hurling another mass of dark energy at Jupiter who leapt to the side to avoid it.

Another bolt of lightning crashed down, this time closer than before.

Jupiter ran across another length of rooftop until a blast of dark energy halted her in her tracks, twirling around to find Nephrite standing there with a dark look on his face. She suddenly threw out her hand, aiming at him with it.

"Decided to finally get serious, eh? Well it's too late for that now!"

Thunder boomed and lighting crashed once more, but it didn't strike somewhere safe this time. A single pure white bolt of lightning struck down and impaled Nephrite's form on the spot, breaking through his barrier in one shot and frying the man within. His screams echoed throughout the area until the bolt subsided.

Jupiter lowered her hand, watching as Nephrite stood on unsteady legs, his form hunched over and his long, scorched hair falling over his face. Her plan had worked, and Nephrite had fallen right into it. He had been so focused on blasting her that he hadn't realized that the storm had been getting closer and closer, until it was too late. The raw fury of mother nature was not one to be messed with, and even she was amazed at the damage it had done. It had been a risk, but it seemed to have paid off.

Her fingers twitched a bit, the energy within her rising to a peak as every single urge in her body screamed at her to just end it, right now. With the dark kingdom losing two of its Shittenou, they would be at a significant disadvantage…

But instead, she found herself walking over to him, stopping until she was only a few feet in front of him.

Nephrite still hadn't moved.

She just stared at him, her eyes going over every inch of his scorched form, trying to figure out if he had even survived the blast...

A sudden explosion from the tower drew her attention, away from Nephrite…away from the bolt of dark energy that had been building in his hand.

Jupiter was unprepared for the blast that she took in the center of the chest, knocking her into the wall at such force that it left her dizzy and without any air to breathe. As her vision cleared, her eyes widened in shock as she found Nephrite standing there, pinning her to the wall with a gout of dark energy built up in his hand, cocked back to shove into and end her.

"An amazon…you say?" Nephrite wheezed, clearly affected being struck by the lightning bolt. "You're nothing…more than…a little girl…playing hero. And the hero…never…gets to see the end!"

* * *

This was it, this was his moment of triumph. The bolt of lightning had nearly been the end of him, and he didn't know who to thank really for letting him survive it – but neither really mattered right now. All that mattered was that here and now, he would redeem himself in the eyes of his queen.

He charged up the blast in his hands, fully intending to properly fry the girl with it and listen to her screams as she faded from, this life…

But then, something happened.

One minute, he was pinning Sailor Jupiter, the enemy of his master to the wall and about to end her miserable existence. The next, her figure faded into someone that he knew very well but at the same time didn't. It looked like Makoto, but instead of the school uniform she wore, she wore a green dress of the purest emerald, the same as her eyes. The crumbling wall had faded too, replaced by a lush green grass that was parted by the woman's form in it. His arms weren't pinning her anymore either, and were instead planted on either side of her as she reached up toward him, an almost serene look on her face as she smiled up at him.

But her voice…her voice was what had him shaking by the end of it.

"Nephrite…"

* * *

When her time didn't come, Jupiter didn't really think that it was reality. But when she opened her eyes and found Nephrite's hand stuck a few inches from her chest, frozen, she had to do a double take. But it was the sheer look of pure astonishment that dominated his face right now that had her attention, the complete loss in his eyes that had previously been filled with vicious superiority.

Now they were staring at her like she was the most alien thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

Nephrite suddenly seemed to snap into focus again, and backed away from her with shock on his face. "W-who are…what are you…" Those were the only words he could get out before he started to scream, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head as he passed out, flopping onto his back into the puddle that had been forming behind him.

"What the-?" Jupiter blinked, at a loss. But when Nephrite didn't move, she got worried. She ran over and knelt down beside him, checking him for any signs of life. Her fingers picked up the throb of a pulse and she let out an almost involuntary sigh of relief. He wasn't dead…she still couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

Another explosion nearby had her head shooting up, looking up to find a huge cloud of dust forming around the tower's rooftop. She could see the faint flashes of fire and what looked like green energy balls being thrown around – her friends were still fighting it seemed.

"Sailor Moon…where are you?" she mumbled, about to take off when she remembered the weight at her feet. She stared down long and hard at the man's immobile form then gave a loud groan, "We still have some issues to resolve, Nephrite," she grumbled as she took hold of him and dragged him to the crumbled wall, propping him up against it.

Once she was sure he was secure and safely sheltered from the rain, giving him one final look, she took off in the direction of the tower, letting her long pent up energy fill her being.

Holding back on Nephrite was one thing – Zoisite didn't hold that much in her regard.

* * *

(Welp, here comes the cavalry. Wooo! I love battle scenes! So much easier to write than dialogue! Putting together conversations hasn't been so easy for me the last several years, but I can picture a battle in my mind vividly almost like I'm there... Ok, i'm done ranting.)


	8. Chapter 8

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

Nephrite threw his legs out of bed, leaning over and grabbing his head with a grimace. Sleep had not been able to come to him, not ever since his fight with Jupiter – an actual fight, not a spar like they'd done before – where he had seen something at the very end that had been haunting him for days now.

Brown hair fall in curls around her face, emerald orbs peeking through up at him in a shy but endearing manner, threatening to suck him in…

He shook his head violently to clear it. Ever since then he had been seeing her face every single time he closed his eyes, always waiting – taunting him with those smiles of hers. But what was even more infuriating was that the sense of calm he felt, however brief, and almost a sense of… safety?

Ridiculous. Who was _he_ to need safety? He was a feared Shittenou of the Dark Kingdom! What did he have to be protected from?

These thoughts and more had been playing on a never-ending loop inside his head, the pattern threatening to drive him insane. He wanted to just shut his mind off sometimes but doing that was impossible…unless he wanted to be come nothing more than a youma.

Speaking of which, Beryl had been quite displeased with the fact that he had been defeated by the thunder Senshi, not to mention the fact that because of which Zoisite had been injured following a surprise appearance by their intended target. Sailor Moon had displayed a new ability of hers and not only managed to drive back the queen, but awaken the entire city from Zoisite's spell.

Nephrite had to admit, the girl was powerful… But she was just a Senshi, and like the others she'd be dealt with in time.

It wasn't entirely bad; Beryl had taken a potshot at Sailor Mars which had forced Jadeite to take the blast in her stead. It hadn't killed him of course but Beryl seemed confident that Jadeite would be firmly out of the way for the foreseeable future. Good for her…

But deep down, Nephrite wasn't sure how he really felt about Jadeite at this point. And seeing _that_ woman's face every time he blinked was not helping matters.

There was something else too, perhaps a side-effect of his new ghost but it was still worrisome. Whenever he found his mind wandering, there would be these flashes – brief visions of images, some he recognized but others he didn't. Visions of castles, knights, grand spacious corridors that led to…somewhere. Voices could be heard sometimes too, calling his name, and though there were some he recognized there was always at least one that filled him with a sense of guilt. Whenever that person spoke, shame of a level he had never felt in Beryl's service always filled his being.

Standing up, he shook off these thoughts and tried to think about other things as he prepared himself for Beryl's inevitable summons, one image made a small smile appear.

"Right, I wonder what she's doing right now…"

* * *

"How is he?" Ami asked as Rei slipped back into the room.

"His fever's gone down at least, but other than that nothing," Rei answered almost bitterly, shuffling back over to her seat at the table.

Makoto gave her friend a concerned look. Rei hadn't handled Jadeite's injury well, and the others were starting to worry about her. She was quieter, reserved – even by Ami's standards. And even the slightest mention of the Dark Kingdom set her off, so all talk about that was expressly forbidden – at least until Luna was around.

Usagi reached across the table and folded her hands over her friend's, smiling softly at her, "Rei-chan, Ryuu-chan's going to be fine I know it. He's been through a lot, and don't forget who it was that dragged him all the way here, ne?"

Rei didn't smile, but the grateful look that swam in her eyes when hers met Usagi's was more than enough for relief to be felt.

Makoto went to take a sip of her drink, and froze.

_Auburn hair spilled down his back, curling in places. Broad shoulders filled the picture of a mesmerizing figure, turning towards her with only the lower end of his mouth being able to be seen. The smile was more than enough to send her heart into a stampede…_

"...-chan...Mako-chan!"

Makoto snapped out of her trance, only to find that she was no longer holding her cup. The contents were now spilt all over the table, the cup itself lying on its side. Usagi and Ami were watching her with varying looks of concern and curiosity. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Mako-chan, are you alright?" Usagi asked gently. "You've been kind of out it lately."

Rei calmly went to retrieve a towel to clean up the mess, while Ami gazed at Mako with a focused look.

"I'm fine, really." Makoto fibbed. Though in truth even she wasn't sure if what she was experiencing was good or bad – perhaps both. All she knew was that ever since that close call with Nephrite – just thinking of him now made her shudder – she'd been seeing and hearing things, perhaps from the past like Luna mentioned. She still saw the Moon Kingdom every now and then, but it took a backseat to other things she saw.

Lush green forests with trees as tall as the sky, massive lakes that stretched beyond the horizon, and…

Him. The figure that had been playing a starring role in her dreams, his face always obscured by the almost blinding light that was always present. She didn't know his name, but she did know how he made her feel. Warm, safe…_loved_. That kind of feeling was only something she had felt traces of with Daichi, and only for a few seconds.

"Mako-chan?"

She shook her head a bit, unaware that she had been daydreaming. "I've just got a lot on my mind, like we all do." That wasn't the truth, but also not a complete lie either.

Usagi and Ami seemed to accept that and left it alone. But though her gaze was centered on the table now, Makoto could just feel Rei's eyes boring into her. Setting aside the irritation at having her boyfriend injured, Rei had been keeping a sharp eye on Makoto lately for reasons that the latter still couldn't really figure out.

Maybe she knew that she hadn't exactly dealt with Nephrite like she should've, but how? Could she have seen something in the sacred fire?

Whatever the case, she knew that she couldn't stand the tension right now. Grabbing her bag, she stood up and headed for the door.

"You're leaving?" Usagi questioned, a bit hurt.

She offered a reassuring smile at her blonde friend, "I've got some errands to run before it gets dark. I'll see you guys tomorrow, kay?"

"Alright…be careful, please."

Makoto gave a wink, then headed out the door, closing it behind her with a sigh. "I wish I could tell you girls…but even I'm not sure what it all means, yet." With that, she started on her way, heading nowhere in particular, just wanting to get lost in the city in the same way she wished she could do with her thoughts.

* * *

Rei excused herself again after Makoto's departure, saying that she wanted to go bring Ryuuji some food. Carrying a tray of porridge, she slid open the door and nearly dropped the tray in shock when she found the blond sitting up in bed, half his torso covered in bandages.

"Rei – oof!" All the air in his lungs was nearly blown out by the tackle from his girlfriend.

Rei leaned up until she was eye level with him, then shoved a manicured nail between his eyes, "If you ever…ever do something that stupid again, I'll roast you alive!" she said the words with as much anger as she could muster, but it was drowned out by the watery tone in her voice.

Ryuuji calmly brushed back her hair and smiled disarmingly, "No promises," he replied, letting Rei sit up next to him.

For a while, they just sat in silence while Ryuuji at his porridge, Rei sitting contently by his side until she felt it was right to bring up her worries.

"…so you think she's starting to remember?" Ryuuji asked after another mouthful of porridge.

"I believe so. She's not exactly the best at hiding her feelings. I just wish she'd share them with us instead of hiding it."

Ryuuji cocked an eyebrow at her, "Would you?"

Rei just glared at him.

"It's not our place to get in the way of it, and that goes for the rest of the girls as well – especially Usagi. She means well, but I think she'd just makes things more complicated this way."

"There must be someway we can help her though!"

"For now, all we can do is let her sort it out herself. Makoto's a strong girl, she'll handle it."

Rei didn't look convinced but she knew it was better than to argue endlessly about it. "Fine, now eat up. You need your strength."

"Yes mother," Ryuuji replied cheekily, ducking under her retaliatory swat at his head.

* * *

Makoto thanked the shop keeper and began heading off down the street, clutching the bag of groceries tightly in one hand while she held her book bag in the other. This could've waited until later but Makoto wanted to get away from the obvious net of concern her friends were showing. She was irritated, not at them of course. She thanked Kami every single moment for letting her have a chance to be friends with them, to be part of something bigger…

But her irritation stemmed from the fact that she didn't know why the visions were happening now all of a sudden. It couldn't have been just from fighting with Nephrite, could it? If that were the case, why weren't they happening before now? And why…

That expression of Nephrite's face flashed through her mind, making her clutch her items tighter.

_Why did he look so scared back there?_ she thought, feeling just the smallest bit of worry for the man before brushing it aside.

With little else to do, she made her way back to the area where her apartment complex was, passing through until she came to her door and found herself frozen on the spot. There, standing in front of the door to her apartment was one of the absolute last people she expected to see. Her crush looked to be lost in thought, and didn't look to be going to make a move any time soon.

So she took the chance herself. "What are you doing here?"

The man actually flinched, as if struck by something, shooting a wide-eyed look at her that had her a little worried, admittedly. But it was only for a moment, schooling his features into something more presentable. "Kino-san? I wasn't aware you were out."

"I _do_ have a life, Akihara-san," Makoto deadpanned, lifting an eyebrow challengingly.

The red that filled his cheeks was visible even from this distance, "Uh, well, of course you do. I don't see why you wouldn't, being the kind of person you are. And-"

A low growl filled the air and made the color in his cheeks brighten.

Makoto forced back a giggle. So the man was human after all, it seemed. Stepping forward, she held her book out to him, "Why don't you come inside and tell me what you're skulking outside my door for, ne? I can hear your stomach rumbling from here."

As she led the way inside, she inwardly was fighting down panic at the notion that this was the first time she was having a boy over to her place – not even senpai had been here!

**_"Not the first,"_** a little voice reminded her which she squashed ruthlessly.

"Find yourself a seat and I'll get something whipped up for us," she said passingly, walking to the kitchen with the grocery bag. She let herself slip into her usual routine, drowning out the anxiety of having someone like Daichi just sitting in the room beyond.

It didn't take her long to fix up something for two people, so lost in her own actions that she didn't hear Daichi walk up behind her.

"It's…a bit more spartan than I expected."

Makoto's finger slipped, and pain shot through her finger, "Ouch!"

Daichi was at her side in an instant, "Are you alright?"

"You scared me you big oaf!" she snapped with little venom, sucking on her finger. "It's just a cut. I used to get them all the time."

Daichi's gaze was honed in on the blood dripping from her cut like a shark, the intensity of it making her uncomfortable because of how much it reminded her of-

"Do you have any bandages?" Daichi's voice broke her out of her musings. "Even if it's just a cut, it should be dressed."

"Uhm, y-yeah. The bathroom, down the hall."

Daichi was gone it what seemed like a flash, and back just as quick, already taking her finger in his.

"It's fine, I've got it-"

"Makoto," Daichi said, looking into her eyes with that same intensity that made her knees feel a bit weak. "This is my fault, so let me take responsibility."

Makoto felt her heart race but didn't stop him, watching in awe as he tended to her finger with surprising gentleness. Her eyes took in every single aspect of his features from his chiseled jaw, to his brown eyes that never looked up from his work, and the way that one of his ears looked a little crooked.

When Daichi let her finger go, she immediately found herself missing the sensation but managed to keep her composure, "T-thank you, now please go wait for me to finish."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, leaving with his shoulders a bit slumped.

The second he was out of sight, Makoto twirled around and finally let her emotions flood her being – it was almost too much. Her face flamed, her heart thundered, and she even started to shake a little. Her thoughts followed a similar pattern.

_'Omigod, omigod, he's so sweet! I thought he'd just let me take care of it but he's such a gentleman! The way he looked so serious, so intent, like-'_

**_"Like Nephrite,"_** that little voice resurfaced, filling her with a chill.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus on her previous task as the smell of soon-to-be burning food filled her nostrils. Before she was just going to make something that would tide them all over, but it was different now. Now she was going to wow him with the culinary skills that Kino Makoto had spent blood, sweat and tears attaining!

* * *

The food didn't take that long to finish, with both of the apartment's occupants sat around the small table in the room. The two ate in silence however, Makoto watching Daichi who kept his gaze centered squarely on his food, never once meeting her eyes.

"Well?" she asked, expectantly.

"It's good," Daichi said levelly, the guilt in his voice obvious.

"Just good?" she questioned, almost insulted. "And here I thought you wanted more than anything to try my food. You certainly seemed like it back at the arcade."

Daichi just remained quiet, brooding.

Makoto groaned impatiently, "Look, it was an accident, ok? Stop beating yourself up about it."

"I hurt you-"

"LOOK," she said sternly, thrusting her finger to where his eyes would definitely see it. "It's all healed up, nice and clean. You helped me so stop brooding, look at me and tell me just why you were outside my door. How did you even know where I lived anyways?"

Daichi couldn't meet her gaze, but it was for a different reason this time. "Well the, erm, landlady told me. She seemed to be thrilled that someone like me was asking about you and just about shoved me to where your door was."

A thud from across the table had his gaze shoot up, confusion flittering across his face to find the brunette rubbing her hand over her face, grumbling about a "nosey old lady". "That explains a lot I guess," she finally said, peeking through her fingers at him. A blanket of scarlet shone faintly across her cheeks now, and the image found itself being burned into his mind. "Sorry you had to deal with that. She's a good person, but really doesn't know when to keep her nose out of others business."

"She also said you'd been here by yourself for a while," Daichi mentioned, and the curiosity he'd been holding back earlier was starting to seep out. "Are you really living alone here?"

Her expression darkened, "I'm just fine living like-"

"Where are your parents?"

The way Makoto froze like a deer in the headlights instantly made him regret asking that question, but before he could try and apologize, she was already speaking.

"They...died when I was a kid. There was this plane crash…for some reason, I survived but they didn't. After that I was thrown around for a bit until I got old enough to take care of myself. Eventually I ended up here…right up to this, as a matter of fact." She sighed, leaning onto the table with one arm, supporting her chin with her palm, "Bouncing around from school to school I didn't really make the best first impressions, so I thought things would be the same when I came here….but I had no idea what I was in for."

"Don't you miss them?" Daichi asked, suddenly feeling the urge to embrace the girl across from him and damn the consequences.

She shrugged, "It comes and goes, I suppose. You never stop missing the people that raised you, held you…loved you…" she shook her head a bit, putting on a smile that he somehow knew was genuine, "but I've got a new family that loves me, and I love them. My friends are the reason I wake up and face this world with a grin. They're the reason I'm-"

Makoto froze again, staring at him with an expression he couldn't decipher, until she sucked in a deep breath and gave him a steely look. "Akihara-san… Can I be honest with you?"

He couldn't agree fast enough. "Of course you can."

"Part of me…part of me is wondering why the hell I'm telling you all of this, that you're a stranger that I only just met. But there's another part that…that feels like I can trust you. That you wouldn't hurt me, no matter what happened between us. So…so I'm going to show you something, something only a few people on this planet even know."

This planet? What was she talking about all of a sudden? "I don't…understand."

Makoto gave him a melancholic smile, taking a deep breath and reaching behind her for something, "Just…trust me, ok?"

What she held up behind her, made Daichi, no, made Nephrite's world drop out from under him. A familiar looking pen with an impossible to mistake symbol in green emblazoned on the tip confirmed his deepest fears.

And if that wasn't enough, her next words were the final nail in the coffin.

**"Jupiter Power, Make UP!"**

* * *

(I apologize for not updating on time, but I got this catering gig to help with some expenses for the summer so that had me tied up. Anyways, PLOT TWIST! I've always wanted to say that... Hope you guys enjoyed this one.


	9. Chapter 9

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

The rapid click clack of heels echoed across the rooftop as a familiar figure leapt from roof to roof, up and down hoping to throw off her pursuer. She could feel him behind her, relentlessly chasing her, a predator that had picked up the scent of fresh prey. The only difference here is that this particular predator only had eyes for her.

Landing a bit roughly on another ledge, she cursed her carelessness for the umpteenth time as she took off at another dead run to the edge of the building. She had been investigating the rumors of a few straggling youma in the area when she had been caught in her persistent pursuer's crosshairs once again, having finally realized it seemed that she was no longer back in London.

He'd finally picked up the trail, and he was just as persistent as she remembered him being. Th thought brought up more pleasant and wistful memories before she shoved them back. She could not allow herself to be distracted, not now. He was too close this time, and Artemis had been sent away for fear that he'd be captured and used as blackmail against her.

When she touched down upon another roof, she made to leap off the edge of the building again, sliding to a stop as she spotted the chasm of open air ahead of her. There was nowhere else to run, not now.

The sound of his boots touching down behind her made her heart rate quicken, and not just because of the real threat he presented to her. Turning slowly, Sailor V once more took in the vision of the feared Lord General Kunzite of the Dark Kingdom. Her hunter, her enemy, and the one man she wanted to save more than anything.

"General, it's been quite some time," she said smoothly, masking her nervousness behind a charming smile. "I was afraid you'd forgotten about me."

"Hardly," Kunzite snorted. "You've led me on quite the chase, Senshi. But now it seems you've run out of tricks."

"You think so, do you?" she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. "So, what happens now?"

Kunzite didn't say anything, just lifted his palm and aimed it at her, his face a blank mask of emotion. The bolt of energy he shot at her was dodged, and this time he was the one to dodge the crack of a familiar-looking chain over his head. "Always with that thing," he grumbled.

"I could use it in more creative ways, y'know?" she remarked, smirking at him. "If you wanted a date, all you had to do was ask, Kunzy-"

"Enough of your games, girl!" Kunzite roared, and blasted V with a full spread of energy, watching her duck under it with all the grace and fluidity of a dancer. "You are directly responsible for the demise of one of my agents, and it's rumored you've been helping the other Senshi, thus my queen order me to hunt you down and I have never disappointed her."

V gritted her teeth at the mere mention of that witch. That vile, blood-sucking harpy had DARED to touch what was hers… There would be a reckoning for Beryl, for everything she had done to not just her but her sisters, and her princess. "There's always a first time for everything," she all but bit out, struggling to keep her voice level.

Kunzite's expression darkened, "I will silence you here, trollop."

V's eye twitched, and the makings of a snarl began worming its way onto her features. "Dear, I'm sooo going kick your sorry ass for that when I get you back," she promised.

_Among other things..._

But before anything else could happen, Kunzite suddenly froze and straightened up. "My queen...?"

V watched him intently as she realized that Beryl must've been contacting him – yet another thing to gut the witch for, to dare to force herself onto her love in any way. She could've attacked him now, while his guard was lowered.

But she had a better idea.

"Consider yourself lucky, Senshi. My queen has directed me to deal with your little allies personally," Kunzite sneered at her, turning to walk away only to feel a stinging pain lance around his arm. "YOU-!"

V had closed the distance in seconds, and was now capturing his lips for her own, even if he did stand a little taller than her. Kuznite stiffened against her but at the same time, didn't pull away. Parting from his mouth, she gave a saucy wink, "Something to remember me by, General." And with that, she broke out into a dead run and leapt off the building, lashing out with her chain to grab onto another ledge and land on a lower tower rooftop. She glared up at the figure of Kunzite until he vanished from sight, giving a deep sigh as she gazed out across the city. "Things are getting hectic around here... Guess it's time I got serious, too."

* * *

"Uwaah!"

"Hurry, get inside already! Geez, where did all this rain come from?! The forecast was supposed to be nice and sunny!"

From where she sat a few floors up, Usagi watched as a few female students rushed towards the school, their bookbags held over their heads as the only shields against the torrent that fell from the sky. She sighed.

It had been raining cats and dogs for a few days now, and there didn't seem to be any end in sight. The freakish storm had appeared seemingly overnight and had been causing no end of misery to the city, at least, to those who didn't have a clue why this sudden storm had appeared.

The blonde was almost positive she knew just what or rather who had caused this, and she was sitting with her head down on the desk just like she had for the last two days. She didn't really understand how as Luna's explanation had sort of gone over her head, but given that Makoto was a senshi of thunder, her mood had to be influencing the weather in crazy ways. Saying her mood lately had been tempestuous was a drastic understatement.

Of course, nobody picked up on that, thankfully. Usagi knew that the last thing her friend needed was someone poking fun at her. She herself wasn't sure she could stop what might come next if that were to occur.

Makoto had been like this ever since she had left that one evening, but she refused to explain just what had happened. Even Ami, bless her, had tried to soothe the obviously in pain green giant but with little success. Makoto seemed to just close herself off and was content to just let the storm rage on.

She frowned a bit at that last thought.

_Too much Frozen,_ she mused, finding it not all that difficult to place Makoto in the famous ice princess's position. _Though if that were the case, maybe there'd be a prince for-_

She bolted up in her seat at the thought, "THAT'S IT!" she exclaimed, elated. Her exuberance was fleeting though as she found most of her classmates' eyes on her, including Haruna-sensei's.

"Tsukino-san, if you have one more outburst like that, you'll be spending the rest of this class in the hall," the woman said, her eye twitching.

Usagi slunk down in her seat, ignoring the snickers from her friends and aiming a determined look at Makoto. Now it all made sense. Something had to have happened with her and Daichi Akihara, but what?

_If that jerk hurt her in any way, I'll moon dust him!_

* * *

Thunder rumbled outside, the vibrations making Makoto's desk shudder a bit but she paid it no mind. Her own mind was thousands of miles away from the _now_, still replaying _then_ over and over in her head. For the umpteenth time, Daichi's shocked face flickered through her mind, an image that had her fist clenching almost unconsciously.

In his defense, it was a huge secret she revealed to him. She was Sailor Jupiter for kami's sake! Any normal man would've been shocked, but there was something more to the way Daichi had reacted. It had been all over his face the moment she transformed in front of him, trusting him in a way she really shouldn't have.

It wasn't just shock; it was fear. A fear so intense, it had him shaking in his seat. And his voice…

_"Th-that's, you, how can you be…?" _

His words had been a jumble of questions, and she had done her best to try and calm him down.

_"Akihara-san, I know it's a lot to take in-"_

_"Take in…?" he replied, staring at her with the most conflicted look she'd ever seen him wear. "This is…I can't…why are you… I can't be here right now."_

And he shot up, bolting out of her apartment at the first chance he got.

She should've gone after him, hunted him down and made him swear to never reveal her identity to anyone… But at that moment, having borne her soul to him and been so utterly rejected, all she could do was fall to her knees and stare at where he had left, feeling a deep sorrow unlike anything she'd felt in her life.

A sorrow that had infected her to such an extent, her powers were starting to run amuck. She knew the storm was her doing but right now, after having been shot down by perhaps the one other person in her life she could've trusted with her feelings, she just didn't care.

So the storm raged on, with no end in sight. The perfect mirror of a lonely maiden's heart.

* * *

_She stood with her back to him, looking as she always did in her school uniform. The sun was starting to go down, casting the scene into a deep orange shade, her shadow growing larger and larger as it fell below the horizon. _

_"Why?" her voice was filled with pain, with a deep sorrow that had him shuddering with shame. "Why did you run, Daichi?" _

_A flash of lightning split the sky suddenly, a freakish storm blowing in from out of nowhere and throwing gusts of everywhere. _

_ "Is it because of who I am," she suddenly asked, turning her head to look at him, her entire appearance shifting to the tell-tale form of someone who should've been his enemy. "Because we have to fight each other? Who am I to you, Daichi? Kino Makoto? Sailor Jupiter? Friend? Enemy? Who am I, Nephrite? _

"NEPHRITE!"

Nephrite jolted back to reality, finding himself under the scrutiny of his fellow comrades and one very furious looking regent. "Y-yes, my queen?" He cursed himself for the stammer but there's was no helping. That vision had been replaying itself in his mind over and over again, ever since…

Beryl narrowed her eyes at him, "Is something troubling you, my general?" she asked, her words dripping with honey.

Nephrite opened his mouth to answer but felt a wave of hesitation come over him. Why? This was his chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow Shittenou, and Beryl herself. Maybe even their great ruler. He knew the identity of one of their most hated enemies, perhaps all of them if his suspicions about Makoto-

_NO,_ he thought viciously. _Don't think of her that way, not anymore. It's over, and the best thing to do now would be to distance yourself as far from this as possible._

"Rest has not been coming easy to me lately, my queen," he replied, the general side of him hissing and condemning him for not being loyal. "I apologize."

Beryl's beady red eyes narrowed a touch more before she looked up, just as a wave of dark energy appeared a few feet in front of her.

Nephrite's eyes widened at the newcomer. "Commander?!"

"Ah," Zoisite's gleeful voice sounded from behind him, "reinforcements, finally. Those brats are doomed." He still looked pretty banged up from Sailor Moon's attack but his pride seemed more wounded than anything.

Kunzite bowed low before Beryl, "I have begun my preparations my queen, as you commanded."

Beryl's furious expression shifted to one of maniacal glee as she gestured for the man to rise, "Very well done, my pet. I am sorry to have recalled you so suddenly, but seeing as how your brothers," she spat the last word, "have been causing me a bit of stress lately, I felt it necessary to bring you back."

As Zoisite grinned next to him, Nephrite's mind went into overdrive.

Kunzite had been recalled. That was bad, very bad. He didn't think things had deteriorated so much that Beryl would need to call in her trump card so early. Kunzite was the commander of the Shittenou, and it wasn't just a title his strength was based on. Nephrite was rightly fearful of the cold, ruthless and seemingly unstoppable man. If he was being called in, that meant that the Senshi had their days numbered.

Another pang echoed in his heart, further frustrating him. Why should it have still mattered to him if they were going to be gone? Because of one stupid girl he had made the mistake to risk himself for?

Once again, her smile flickered through his brain, making him bite his lips.

"Anxious, aren't we?" Zoisite's snickered next to him, earning himself a glare. The effeminate man pushed on, "Given how you were completely trounced by her, I'd wager you're itching to get some payback. Worry not, my brutish friend, we'll all get what we're owed."

The briefing that followed was short and to the point; a trap had been set by Kunzite to lure in all the sailor senshi and destroy them once and for all. Jadeite of course was a prime target but given his injuries, they'd have to settle for getting rid of the senshi for now. They'd been told to spare Sailor Moon for some reason, Beryl claiming that she wanted to take care of the upstart herself.

The Shittenou were dismissed after that, each of them going their own separate ways. Nephrite found it all too easy to slip away from Zoisite as he basically pounced on Kunzite, demanding to hear tales of his exploits. He himself wasn't interested, his mind still running a thousand miles a minute with all the implications and effects that the events to unfold would entail.

Hours later, he found that pacing up and down in his room like a caged animal would do him little good, so he warped back to the city, hoping that getting lost in the crowd would do him some good.

But fate, as he'd been finding out lately, had turned into a cruel bitch and seemed to have it out for him.

Turning the corner of one busy street, he ran smack dab into the absolute last person he wanted to meet, and she wasn't alone. With her was someone he vaguely recognized, if only because he knew very few people with hair that long, the blonde giving him an odd look whilst Makoto gave him a blank stare.

Somehow, that hurt him even more than if she had responded with anger.

"Excuse me," he said quickly, hoping to head them off at the pass.

"…Usagi-chan, head on without me. I'll catch up."

_Damn it._

He quickly burst off into a run, the rapid footfalls behind him signaling that the brunette had given chase. He ducked into the alley, rushing past garbage cans, cutting corners, anything to somehow lose the girl hot on his heels.

No dice.

"Hold up! …will you just-! Stop, just **STOP**!"

Thunder boomed overhead, followed by a crash of lightning that landed literally just a few feet from him, leaving a smoking crater where it landed.

Nephrite clenched his fists tightly, feeling backed into a corner for once. He idly heard Makoto rushing up towards him, breathing hard from the sounds of it, and when she spoke he knew she was just as shocked he.

"I…I didn't mean to do that."

"You can't help it," he answered coldly, keeping his back to her.

Silence reigned for a few moments, until Makoto broke it again.

"Look…I'm sorry about just…throwing that on you. I shouldn't have."

"Why did you then?" he asked, and he was genuinely curious. "You don't know me, Kino-san. You have no idea what kind of person I am or could be, and yet you trusted your story to me. Some would call that too-trusting, gullible even."

He could just feel the pain each insult was causing her, and he had hoped that it would be enough to drive her off. A quick strike to the back would do it, settle things on both of their terms and that'd be it. He could've walked away with a clear conscience after that…

But, this girl hadn't made things easy for him from the start; why start now?

"…I don't know," she finally replied, sounding as confused as he felt. "It's just a feeling, I guess. You may be a stranger but, somehow…it feels as though I've known you all my life, or I have been missing you in it. I know it sounds crazy, but that's why I told you everything. The way I feel around you is freeing, like everything in this world just fades away whenever I'm with you. Why I felt that I could…let go around you."

Nephrite bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. This damned girl…why did she make it so hard to hate her? Even now every instinct was telling him to just say to hell with it, wrap her in his arms and tell her how he really felt about her.

But that wasn't how any of this was going to work. They each had their own defined paths in life; hers, was that of hero, someone to be protect and defend all that was good. And his…

His was to be the exact opposite of everything she stood for. And it was time to stop living a lie.

* * *

"I don't…know where all of this is going, if it will even go anywhere. But I don't want to just let a chance like this pass by, so that's why…Daichi, I want to take that chance, with you."

She waited with baited breath, anxious to hear his response. It wasn't the most thought out confession, but she had gone with her heart instead of her head. And her heart wanted Daichi, that hadn't changed since day one. He completed her in ways she didn't even know were possible. She knew it had to be overwhelming for him, but he was strong – strong like her. And if they just had time, then-

"…hehe, hahaha, ahahahah, HAHAHAHA!"

Makoto took a step back, suddenly wary of the man in front of her as he finally turned to face her, smirking in a manner all too familiar to her. She slowly started to shake her head.

"WE never had a chance, Makoto. We live in two different worlds; universes, as a matter of fact. Yours is filled with light, with everything right and sound in this world. As for me, well," his street clothes suddenly vanished, and before her eyes, she watched as the man she thought she knew as Daichi Akihara became someone she knew very well.

"…Nephrite."

He grinned at her, his laughter causing her to stumble backwards, staring at him with disbelief in her emerald eyes. "Surprised? You really shouldn't be, but then again I was the same way when you showed me. I had my suspicions, but to really see it…it was quite a shock. So it seems only fair for you not to feel so alone in that aspect."

"It can't be…why you? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE YOU?!" she screamed at him, all the resolves and plans she had had all crumbling in an instant.

"Because there are always two sides to every story, Makoto; just as there is always two sides to the laws of the universe. Yin, yang; light, dark; good, and evil."

"You're not evil," she denied.

Nephrite threw out his hand, launching something blindingly fast by her face that blew her hair into her eyes. She slowly glanced behind her, her world dropping out from under her feet as she saw the basketball-sized crater in the side of the building wall.

"You have no idea what I am, little girl," he spat. "I had no idea either until you showed me your true colors. Now it's all clear. You're a sailor senshi, Kino Makoto. You were born to save this world; I was born to destroy it."

She slowly started to rise to her feet, his words somehow sparking a fire within her, "You can't believe that," she said, glaring at him. "There's to this life than what we've been handed! If only we could-"

"THERE IS NO WE!" he screamed, and sent a wave of energy at her that sent her flying into a building. AS her vision cleared, she found Nephrite standing in front of her, aiming his palm at her, "We have our roles to play in this world, senshi. And I'm about to play mine."

**"Mars Fire Soul!"**

Nephrite looked up in shock, barely blocking the wave of fire that nearly incinerated him on the spot, leaping up to a ledge and glaring down at the newcomers.

Makoto suddenly felt a gentle gloved hand on her shoulder, followed by a familiar blue-haired face, "Are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"H-how-?"

"Usagi-chan was worried and called us," Mercury explained, just as Sailor Moon embraced Makoto tightly.

"I'm so glad we made it," she said tearfully. "Mako-chan, I'm so sorry."

Makoto couldn't say anything, and only looked up at Nephrite with a desolate expression. All of her dreams, all of her wishes, everything was unraveling at the seems and she didn't know how to stop it.

"Hmph, the one time we get each of you gathered in one place and it's the one we don't want," Nephrite sneered. "It's good that you arrived when you did. I want to enjoy settling my score with Sailor Jupiter, not some weak-willed girl."

"Shut your damn mouth, you bastard!" Sailor Mars shouted, more fired up than usual.

Nephrite smirked at the fire senshi, "And since you're here, I'm guessing my dear little brother is back on his feet again. Annoying, but we'll get to him in time."

"Over my dead body," Mars vowed darkly, her gloved hands coming alive with flames.

"That's the idea," Nephrite agreed, grinning like a madman at them. "Your days are numbered, brats! Come soon this city will be ours, and once you're out of the way we'll find that blasted Princess and take what rightfully belongs to the Dark Kingdom!"

"We won't let you do as you please, Daichi-san!" Sailor Moon declared, the sudden declaration stunning Nephrite momentarily.

"That man was never alive, just a tool to use for my own ends."

"Liar," Makoto growled. She refused to believe that. Daichi had been real. Everything they went through had been real. She slowly started to rise, ignoring Mercury's pleas to stay down. She pushed her way to the front, rage building from within her as she drew on her power.

"And like all tools, when they've outlived their usefulness, they are discarded like the trash that they-"

**"Jupiter Power, Make UP!" **

The familiar embrace of her henshin folded around her, and the power of her namesake once more flowed through her body, granting her newfound strength and courage to face her biggest challenge yet. As the light faded, Sailor Jupiter glared up at a stony-looking Nephrite, "You want a fight, Nephrite? Fine, then let's settle this once and for all. Bring all your dark kingdom buddies, hell bring an army, but that won't stop us. And it sure as hell won't stop me from kicking your sorry ass into the next galaxy!"

The dark kingdom general snarled, "We'll see, senshi. But for now, enjoy what little time you all have left. Because come soon, darkness will consume this city and you along with it." Nephrite aimed one final glare at her which she shot right back, before fading away in a wave of dark energy.

The second he was gone, Jupiter fell to her knees with a sigh, the senshi quickly crowding around her with worry.

"Now that, was quite a performance," a new voice said, all of the girls looking up in shock. Sitting on the edge of a building nearby, her legs dangling off the edge was a very familiar looking figure wearing a sailor fuku and a mask over her eyes.

"S-S-Sailor V?!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, astonished.

"The one and only," Sailor V said, swinging off the building and landing on the ground gracefully. "But that's not important right now. This city is about to become a battlefield soon, and we can't afford to be divided anymore. The only way we're going to fight them off is together."

"Bring em on," Jupiter said, still looking to where Nephrite last was. "I have a score to settle, and this time, I'm going to win."

* * *

(Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know I mentioned some chapters going forward would be late, but I had no idea they would be coming this late! And the next one is going to be even later since I've gotta work four days of catering next week instead of the usual two. I can't say when this one will drop, but I'll aim for next weekend at the latest.  
That all being said, so now we've got all the senshi in one place and a course has been set for mayhem. The truth comes out, and all hell is fixing to break loose. A storm is coming, and who will be left standing after it ends? Tune in next time. Hope you guys are enjoying this story.)


	10. Chapter 10

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

Ryuuji let out a grunt as his back met the wall, coughing a bit as a pair of furious emerald orbs burned into his. He hadn't expected for this to happen so soon, but he had known that this would've happened sooner or later.

"You're going to start talking. Now." Sailor Jupiter ordered, forcing him up against the wall with one arm.

"Let him go, Jupiter!" Sailor Mars demanded, storming over to her.

Jupiter's glare stopped her cold, "You knew it too, didn't you? Both of you!"

Ryuuji swallowed hard, trading stunned glances with Rei before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, we did."

Jupiter shoved him harder against the wall, looking like she wanted to just zap him into dust right then and there.

"I knew first!" Mars declared suddenly, earning herself a hard glare from Jupiter, sending one of her own right back. "He didn't know about everything until later and only after he was freed from Beryl's control. And even then, our accounts are split."

That didn't seem to matter to Jupiter though. "You still should've told me," she argued, returning her gaze to Ryuuji who seemed resigned at the situation. "How much do you know? Who else knows?"

"Besides us, there's Usagi-chan and Ami-"

"Even they know?!"

"We didn't!" Sailor Moon burst out, standing on the sidelines with a very worried expression on her face. "R-Rei-chan told us, after…after Ryuuji saved us, even though he didn't mean to back then. Please Mako-chan, don't be mad at Ryuu-chan. It's hard on all of us knowing what we know."

"And what exactly do you know?" Jupiter bit out, feeling a tinge of guilt watching Usagi flinch at her words.

"I'd tell you if you let me down," Ryuuji directed her attention back to him. Jupiter gave him a level stare for several moments before removing her arm from around his throat, backing up from him. Ryuuji coughed a bit, sucking much needed air as he felt Mars kneel at his side.

"Really," a voice drawled from the doorway, belonging to the newest member of their group, who was leaning up against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest, "you should've seen this coming, keeping secrets like this."

"Like you're any…better," Ryuuji shot back at the masked senshi. "Just how long are you planning on playing hero?"

Sailor V just gave him a stare, unamused.

Ryuuji brought himself up to his full height, his face adopting a serious expression, "Like Rei said, the account is split between the two of us, and you need to hear both. Please Makoto…trust us. We're not your enemies."

Jupiter gave them a level glare for several long tense moments, before she sighed and let her henshin go, putting her back into her school uniform. The rest of the senshi save for V also dropped their henshin, but Rei stayed resolutely close to Ryuuji in case Makoto went into another rage.

Ryuuji exchanged a look with Rei, who nodded and began addressing the taller girl.

"All that you know about the Silver Millennium, our past lives and our duties – that hasn't changed. Other than that, there is little else we know aside from what Ryuuji knows. And there's something else… Do you know how I saved Ryuuji?"

"Something about you purifying him or something," Makoto said curtly.

Rei nodded. "But there was something else too, something that helped me remember who he was and why I had to fight for him. When I first transformed, something happened between Jadeite and I."

Makoto's eyebrow lifted slowly, turning an expectant look over to the only male of the group.

"At the time, I was in possession of a crystal that burned my hands whenever I touched it. Despite that, I never got rid of it, holding onto it because I knew it was somehow important. I always kept it with me for that reason, for fear of Beryl discovering it and smashing it. When Rei became Sailor Mars for the first time, that crystal returned to her and when it did, well, let's just say I knew I was in real trouble."

"You still are," Rei reminded him crossly, but took hold of his hand and squeezed it. "The crystal he had gave me a portion of my memories back, things that even Luna didn't know. I recognized Jadeite instantly because of who he was to me."

"You mean you realized how much you loved him even when he was trying to kill you and everyone else?" Makoto shot back, watching as Ryuuji flinched and Rei's eyes flashed indignantly.

"It's more complicated than that, actually," V made her voice know, walking over to the group. "The crystal she's talking about, it's real, and it is more precious to us than you can even realize." She held out her hand, and within seconds a bright golden light began to fill the room, manifesting into a glittering, intricate looking piece of gold crystal. "This crystal is essentially a relic of who we once were, an artifact of our hopes and our fears."

Makoto stood in awe, just as the others were equally mesmerized by the crystal, having been the first time they had even seen one. "What does this have to do with anything, though?"

V met her eyes with an intensity that made even Ryuuji shudder, "In the past life, we, gave crystals like this to four men who we cherished more than anything, who made us feel as though we could be something more than what we had been destined for. Four men, who we fight even now."

There it was, the bomb had been dropped. And Makoto's reaction was nothing short of atomic, when the shock wore off anyways.

"What the HELL?! You mean to tell me that all this time, all we've been fighting were our…our…what?"

V calmly waited out the storm before speaking again, "Lovers, betrotheds, intendeds, whatever you want to call them. They were ours," V's expression darkened considerably towards the end, but it was only brief. "Each of us, the Inner senshi, paired off with a shittenou, who we eventually fell in love with."

"You can't expect me to believe-!"

"Mako-chan," Ami's soft voice carried across the room like a wave of rushing water, "it's the truth…no matter how much I wish it wasn't. Rei and Ryuuji-san, they are destined for each other. With me, Zoisite was…was mine, and you…"

Makoto shook her head slowly, clutching her head in a fit of panic, "No, nononono, this can't be happening. You mean all this time I've been fighting the one I…?"

Ryuuji gave a deep sigh, cursing himself for not telling her sooner but there was no point in wallowing in it. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Makoto. Believe me, I wish things were simpler and that it didn't have to be this way."

"But there is a way to save everyone, a way that we can save Nephrite and maybe even Zoisite," Rei stated quickly. "The crystal was something we each gave to the Shittenou, and if Jadeite had mine, then Nephrite certainly has yours somewhere."

"How…how do you expect me to face him after this?!" Makoto cried, tears leaking out of her eyes onto the floor. "Before I was ready to wipe the floor with him, to make him PAY for using me, but…how am I supposed to do this?"

Ryuuji wanted to do something, anything for the girl he had quickly learned to call a friend of his, but before he could do anything, V made up her mind first.

With a few long strides over to the distraught brunette, V slapped the girl across the face, shocking her out of her misery. "Is this how you're going to fall, just give up without even trying? This isn't the Sailor Jupiter I know. You're stronger than this, I know you are."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!" Makoto screamed in her face, wiping furiously at her eyes. "You, all of you, have no idea what it's been like for me! To have to go home every single day and find that you're completely alone, to have to face your worst nightmares all on your own! I'm scared…I'm so…scared."

"Mako-chan!" Usagi sobbed, only held back by Ami who was struggling herself.

V suddenly pulled the sobbing girl into a hug, stopping the latter's sobbing for a moment. "You think I'm not scared? That I don't want to just run away from it all, to just forget it even exists? I do, more than anyone will ever know. But that's completely selfish, and it's not just me that suffers for it. This world, the people in it, our families, our friends…the ones we love, all suffer for our indecisiveness. We've been brought back for a purpose, Makoto-chan, something bigger and more important than anything we could've ever imagined. It's a scary thing to face, yes, but it's also a wonderful thing because we can _do_ something instead of just _wishing_ for it. That includes this," she pushed Makoto back and held her by shoulders, giving her a gentle smile through her own tear-laced eyes, "and I know you, I do. And despite what you may think, you're not alone in this."

"She's right!" Usagi shouted, rushing over to her friend with a tearful smile, "We're always with you, Mako-chan, now and forever!"

"We're a family," Ami said, forcing back her own tears.

"And we'll face all of this, together, as one," Rei said, her voice choked up a bit by the scene.

"You guys…" Makoto looked around in awe, almost in disbelief at the sight before her. She then looked at Ryuuji, and something in her eyes made even him want to join in on the sob fest.

But he couldn't, he had to be strong.

But damn if V's words didn't get to him.

"I'm me again because of you girls. You don't think I'm just going to abandon you now, do you? Besides, there's still my own prince I – we, the Shittenou – need to find

Makoto wiped at her eyes again, giving a tremulous smile to her friends, "I…thank you, everyone. For everything."

"We're always here for you," V said passionately, before giving an impish grin and pointing at her, "now then! Couple of things: you love Nephrite, right?"

Makoto and the others were taken aback by the sudden shift in gears, the former just giving a faint blush, "W-well, I don't-"

V tutted at her, wagging a gloved finger, "Yes or no, Mako-chan. And don't lie because this love goddess knows all."

Makoto blushed even deeper, remaining quiet for a few moments before she spoke quietly, "I…do."

"Hmm? What was that?"

Something in Makoto's eyes changed, something he'd only seen once before. But it wasn't in _this_ life. "I do, damn it! Gods help me, I love that big jerk and when I get my hands on him, I'll make him regret ever trying to run away from me!"

Ryuuji blinked at the sudden declaration, stunned by her gumption. Even she seemed surprised at first, as did the others but then gave a wide grin. The blond man just glared at the back of the heroine's head with a narrowed gaze.

_You're still as scary as ever, Venus,_ he remarked. _Kunzite's in for it, for sure._

"That's my girl! I've missed you, you have no idea."

"Yeah, yeah group hug," Makoto brushed off the blonde's hands, giving a warm expression to each of her friends, "Seriously though, thank you. But we've got bigger fish to fry right now."

V's face sobered at that remark, "Right, and with Kunzite at the helm, you just know that they'll be pulling out all the stops. Luckily we got our own little Shittenou to help us out, ne Ryuu-chan?" V glanced back at him, batting her eyelashes.

Ryuuji made a face, "Don't get cocky. Even I'm not sure I can handle the rest of them the way I am."

"Good thing you're not going to be alone," Rei said determinedly. "If we're doing this, we're doing this together."

V shrugged, then smirked, "Fine, but leave Kunzite to me. He and I have a lot of catching up to do after all."

"Same goes for Nephrite," Makoto stated, narrowing her eyes. "I'm going to knock some sense into that big jerk even if it kills him!"

"I'll handle Zoisite," Ami said bravely.

Both Ryuuji and Rei turned a surprised look over to the bluenette, "Are you sure, Ami-chan?" Rei asked carefully.

Ami nodded, "I have to face him at some point, don't I?"

"What about me?" Usagi whined, feeling put out.

V just put a hand on her fellow blonde's shoulder and winked, "Just be yourself, and you'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure Tuxedo Kamen will be right there with you."

Usagi flared up and started spluttering denials, much to the other's amusement.

Ryuuji just watched the five girls as they prepared for what he knew would be one of the toughest fights of their lives. And he knew it wouldn't be the end of it either. Come hell or high water, this would be the beginning of the end.

Bring it on.

* * *

Nephrite ducked underneath a swing of Kunzite's sword, trying to put up a defense against his commander who seemed to be reminding him just why he was the one in charge. He hadn't trained much since Jadeite defected, and Zoisite didn't care much for swordsmanship despite the fact he had a natural talent for it. Kunzite and he seemed to be the only ones who cared enough to use a blade, even though Nephrite personally preferred to use his fists instead. And Kunzite was the master of perhaps every bladed weapon in existence, even some he'd never heard of.

Of course, that wasn't to say Kunzite needed a blade to be powerful. No, he was a force of nature all on his own. He could bring entire cities to their knees if he wished without breaking a sweat. He just found the use of a blade to be comforting as crazy as it sounded, but Nephrite could admit the same. The feel of a blade in his hand was strangely familiar even though he knew for sure that he had never held one before in his life before entering Beryl's service. Still…

Blocking Kunzite's next strike, he put his all into holding the older general at bay who didn't look the least bit fazed by the exercise. If anything he looked bored.

"You've been slacking off," Kunzite noted calmly.

"I've been busy," Nephrite replied back with strain in his tone.

Kunzite made a thoughtful grunt, before leaping back from Nephrite. "Filling in for Jadeite couldn't have been difficult for you given you ran North America by yourself for almost a year."

"Running America was simple because I didn't have to deal with upstart girls in short skirts," Nephrite fired back, grumpily. A certain girl in particular came unbidden to his thoughts, but he shoved it away harshly and clamped down on it with all the force he could muster. "And what about you? Didn't you have to go and hunt down one of them anyways? Why were you-?"

His instincts were the only thing that saved him from being beheaded by the man, throwing up his blade at the last second to block Kunzite's.

"Distraction is death," Kunzite intoned.

"With you it always is!" Nephrite growled, summoning his strength to throw the man back from him. He put up his guard this time, waiting for Kunzite to make a move against him. He didn't have to wait long.

Kunzite rushed in once more but he had a bit more difficulty with Nephrite this time. Nephrite matched him blow for blow, ferocity going against precision with some degree of success. He actually began to push him back, but the relief was only brief. After all, Kunzite was still the master.

After one particularly deadly stroke, Nephrite felt his blade ripped from his grasp, the sword hurtling through the air before being embedded in the ground nearby. Kunzite's blade was at his throat in seconds, just inches from his jugular. All it would've taken was one thrust and that would've been his end…

Kunzite drew the blade back, brandishing it with a flourish before sheathing it. "Your skills haven't diminished, but neither have they improved. I had expected some progress with my absence but it seems I expected too much out of you." Before Nephrite could argue that, Kunzite plowed on. "It matters little. Your current abilities are still more than enough for my plans."

Nephrite stared at him for a few seconds, then glared at him with clenched fists, "So…you drug me down here for some kind of test?"

Kunzite gave him a blank stare, "The queen has been questioning your ability recently to perform to her expectations, thus assigned me with measuring your skills to see if there was any decline. They have not, and I will report as such to her. Be grateful," the first signs of a smirk, however little, appeared on the man's face, "you're still worth some use."

Nephrite let out a growl but didn't do anything else. He knew how outmatched he was. "And this plan of yours? How exactly do you intend to trap the senshi? Zoisite tried that before and it didn't work."

Kunzite's eyes narrowed at him, "According to Zoisite, you went off to deal with the senshi on your own instead of guarding him like you were ordered to."

"So, what, I'm his babysitter now?"

"If you had stuck together, you might've been able to finally deal with those brats but you didn't, and here we are. Now I have to clean up your mess."

Nephrite scoffed, "And I can tell you're thrilled about it."

"And because of it, I was recalled just as I was about to prevent them gaining another troublesome ally."

Nephrite's eyes widened at that. Troublesome ally? He couldn't mean… "That showoff? She's here?"

Kunzite's eyes became dark with anger, "And I had her right where I wanted her until the queen called me back. Now we'll have to deal with both her and our treasonous brother on top of the senshi. All because you and Zoisite couldn't do your damned jobs."

Nephrite opened his mouth to say something, but Kunzite was already turning away. "I have to report to the queen. Make sure you and Zoisite are ready to move at a moment's notice. Do I make myself clear, Nephrite?"

"…yes sir."

The head of the Shittenou exited the chamber, leaving Nephrite to stew in his thoughts. Eventually he grew frustrated and stormed out, heading to his quarters. Once inside, he grabbed a chair and hurled it against the crystal walls, shattering it but leaving the wall undamaged.

"Cocky son of a bitch. Struts in here like he owns the damned place… If it weren't for him being so damned strong, I'd take my chances and wipe that damned smirk off his face sometime."

But they needed him, because he was Beryl's trump card. And if this plan of his failed, then…

Then what, he wondered.

Beryl would probably kill them all or worse, send them into eternal sleep. And he would prefer death over that living hell, trapped forever and never able to rest. But those were the stakes; either they would succeed, kill the senshi and hunt down the Imperium Silver Crystal, or they'd all be sentenced to a fate worse than hell.

All because they couldn't deal with four stupid teenagers!

Her face burst into his mind again, and this time he couldn't block her out. Her face, her smile, her voice…whispering his name in such a loving manner…

"GRAAAGH!" He started grabbing anything and everything he could get his hands on, hurling it against the wall. Chairs, desks, dressers, even the entire bed at one point all ended up smashed against the wall, littering the floor in broken chunks. Nephrite breathed heavily, his form slouched and his eyes wild as he glared murderously at the walls around him, for the first time realizing it at it was: a cage.

Before he could go into another rage filled rampage, something glittering out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was poking out of the debris of what had been his dresser, something green and sparkling. He walked over and kneeled down, sifting through the debris to get at the object, finally pulling it out to get a better look at it.

The moment he did, something inside him lurched.

A crystal of the richest emerald gleamed in his palm, glimmering innocently up at him like it had been freshly polished and shined. The emerald was so vibrant, its color so deep, and it felt as though it were drawing him in.

He shook off the trance before it sucked him in. "Damned thing, how'd I end up with this?" As he moved to toss it, a powerful shock ran through his hand, so strong it damn near caused him to black out. But that wasn't the worst of it.

The voices, were. And they were all hers.

**_"This planet is so full of life!"_**

**_"I'm the princess's guardian…"_**

**_"And who are you to try and tell me how to fight?"_**

**_"Don't underestimate me, general…"_**

**_"Nephrite…Nephrite…Nephrite…"_**

"SHUT UP!" he screamed, shutting his eyes tightly. "Shut up, shut up, shut up get out of my head!"

**_"I HATE YOU!"_**

Nephrite's eyes popped open, and he realized that he was no longer in his room anymore. Instead, he found himself on his knees in front of a massive palace, the Moon Kingdom, but that wasn't what got his attention. The familiar green fuku-clad figure standing in front of it, her uniform torn and burned in several places, her long brown hair without its usual ponytail and spilling down her shoulders in messy, scorched curls. She looked like she were about to collapse any second, her body definitely showed it. But her eyes…

Her eyes were as bright, and as powerful as ever. And they burned brightly, not with the love he'd seen like before. But hate, complete and spine-tingling hatred.

_**"YOU'RE A MONSTER!"**_

Nephrite for once found himself paralyzed with something he never thought he'd feel: fear. He couldn't force himself to speak.

Sailor Jupiter threw out her hands with a blood-curdling scream, and everything turned bright white.

Her scream however morphed into someone else's – _his_.

The feeling of being electrocuted was more intense than anything he'd felt before. But as quickly as it came on, it faded just as fast, leaving him huddled into a ball with sweat pouring down from every pore on his body. Forcing himself up, he looked around wildly before relaxing somewhat.

"What…the hell? A…dream? No…no that wasn't just a dream. A memory? But why, and why…why was she there?"

In the far corner of the room, forgotten, the emerald crystal glowed bright green for a moment before it faded away into thin air.

* * *

When night fell, everyone went home for the evening, and Luna and Artemis were pulling an all-nighter at the command center underneath the arcade, the two guardians cats quite happy to be reunited with one another. That left only Rei, Ryuuji and V at the temple, the latter sticking around for her own reasons.

Rei was sitting outside of the temple, staring up at the night sky as the stars twinkled above. She tried to see if she could spot her planet but no dice, though she could still feel its power. Filling her with warmth…with strength…with purpose.

A purpose that she would have to stand for before long, for the sake of everything.

"Shouldn't you be resting," she called out to the open air. Her ears picked up the noise of bushes rustling, followed by the tell-tale sound of heels click-clacking on stone.

"I could say the same to you. Isn't Ryuu-chan getting a little lonely in there?" V asked impishly.

Rei scoffed, "Do you ever think about anything but people's love lives?"

"Rarely," V replied sticking her tongue out a bit before her face sobered. "Still, you should spend as much time as you can with him. This is going to be a tough fight, and if-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Rei said calmly, but with intensity. "We have all the time in the world because we are going to face this, and we're going to win. Just like you said, right?"

"Right…"

The two sat in silence for a while after that, the crickets filling the air between them with the wind blowing softly through the area.

"…do you think she can save him?"

"I hope so. I saved Jadeite because he was possessed by a youma, but I don't think the same applies to Nephrite," Rei replied. "Those two were always so fierce, in everything that they did. Their relationship was no different. And if they are anything like they were in the Silver Millennium, then Nephrite is really in for it this time." V didn't laugh, which Rei caught onto. "…there's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

V took a deep breath and looked her friend dead in the eyes. "Yeah…and even after all this time, it still makes me sick to think about. Beryl is a truly wicked bitch and the things she's made them do is nothing short of atrocious."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Rei…Nephrite killed Jupiter at the end of it all, like the rest of us."

Rei clenched his fists reflexively, "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because when she remembers what he did to her before they died…she might just kill him on the spot. And if he remembers it too, he wouldn't blame her."

"What could've been so bad that he'd let her just kill him?"

V's next words made her want to vomit, cry, and scream – in that order.

"That day, when he fought her, he killed their unborn child."

* * *

(I'm going to get this out before I get locked up and too exhausted to think about anything else for the next week. This is my last week of catering so after this, the updates will go back to normal. This chapter wasn't easy to write mostly because I wanted to make my redemption angle seem unique, and the crystal was my method. Granted Jadeite was a special case because he literally had a youma possess him to keep him in line, but Nephrite is considered more loyal so he's just denying his feelings instead. Everything will soon come to a head. The storm is about to arrive and believe me, things aren't done yet.)


	11. Chapter 11

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

Before Kunzite lay the glittering city of Tokyo, the lights of hundreds of buildings all but blinding him as its people rushed by the masses below on its streets. This city held so many souls within in, so many lives with their own purpose to fulfill, and yet so ignorant of the grand scheme of things. That all of them, each and every single one of them, were but ants compared to men such as himself.

Tokyo wasn't all that different from London, he thought. Same sprawling metropolis, same bustling inhabitants and same irritating eyesores for buildings, like the one they were standing on right now. Starlight Tower they called it… Well, at least it wasn't a gigantic clock that could be seen from everywhere in the city.

And it would suit his plans just fine.

He breathed deeply, in and out, preparing himself for the first phase of his operation. If all went as planned, the Dark Kingdom would finally be rid of its biggest nuisance to finding the Silver Crystal, which had been put on hold due to their interference.

And that wasn't even to mention the Moon Princess his Queen seemed to be obsessed with. Kunzite wasn't an idiot. He knew very well that Beryl's obsession with finding the moon brat went far beyond just simply finding her for the sake of getting the crystal. No, there was very real hate in Beryl's voice whenever she was mentioned, followed by something or someone getting turned into ashes immediately afterwards.

Not that Kunzite really cared. The only thing he cared about was doing his job, something, he thought with an annoyed grimace, that two other men hadn't been able to do lately. At least Zoisite seemed to be on task, currently making sure the tweaks for his plan would follow through. He was a good soldier, if a bit more on the discreet side. Nephrite on the other hand…

Kunzite risked a glance behind him and found, much to his irritation, that Nephrite was standing around doing nothing – again. Since their little impromptu sparring session, Nephrite had been…off. Kunzite knew that his younger brother wasn't in peak condition, but he still trusted he would be able to fight like he always had.

Now, he wasn't so sure. Nephrite these days seemed to be staring out at nothing whenever someone wasn't watching him, and he should've considered himself fortunate that the Queen hadn't caught him like that. At least, not again anyway.

"Nephrite," he called out, yanking the man out of whatever fantasy he'd been drowning in, "stop gawking. Be more like Zoisite and do something productive."

Nephrite gave him a glare and scoffed, "More like him? I'd sooner off myself than do that, commander."

"I heard that, you oaf!" Zoisite shouted from nearby.

"You were supposed to!" Nephrite shot back, grumbling to himself as he stalked off.

Kunzite watched the scene with a sudden feeling of nostalgia. It was kind of comforting, watching these two bicker like they always had. It showed that things hadn't changed no matter how long he'd been away.

But…things had changed. And now, because of a certain irritating fire senshi, they were short one brother who would likely be dead by the end of the night along with his insurgent allies. A part of him felt conflicted about having to deal death's hand to his younger brother, who had sparred with him quite often even despite their significant difference in skill and strength. But loyalty to his queen came first and foremost; everything else was second, even love…something that Jadeite clearly didn't respect anymore.

He wasn't his brother, not anymore. He was a traitor, an enemy to their noble cause. And for that, he would meet his end – along with the senshi.

And, if this city didn't bow before the glory of the Dark Kingdom, so would every single soul down among the sea of lights.

The winds began to shift suddenly, followed by a sharp crack of lightning that stabbed down towards the horizon. The clouds above began to darken dramatically, and the quiet rumble of thunder turned into a symphony of bangs and booms amidst the sky.

It was time.

Kunzite stepped forward to the building's edge and held out his hand, releasing a brief wave of power. The wave of darkness swept across the city, blacking out all sources of light until only the Moon peaking in through the clouds above was left. "Now we wait," he said, and eagerly anticipated the response of his actions.

While he didn't have to wait long, the reaction was not what he expected.

"You never did know how to hold back, did you, boss?"

Kunzite's eyes widened, along with both Nephrite and Zoisite's as their gazes met the owner of the voice, a surprising guest none of them had been expecting – this early anyways. "Jadeite."

The prodigal Shittenou stood on a steel beam above them, clad in his gray uniform as always and having drawn his sword. "It's been a while, brothers."

"You are no brother of ours, traitor!" Zoisite hissed, green bubbles of energy floating nearby.

"Strange how your shadow isn't with you this time. I thought she'd glued you to her side when she turned you," Nephrite sneered, his eyes darting around quickly for any signs of reinforcements.

Jadeite merely smirked, "That rich coming from you lot, considering how glued you are to Beryl's."

"YOU DARE-!" Zoisite stepped forward threateningly, only for Kunzite to head him off.

"While I will admit that you saved us quite the trouble of hunting you down, we're not precisely after you tonight, Jadeite," Kunzite explained, but even he found Jadeite's presence to be odd. Where were the senshi? Or at the very least, where was Sailor Mars? Seeing Jadeite without her for once was…unsettling.

"And what kind of man would I be if I let three grown men beat up pretty girls," Jadeite shot back, grinning at Nephrite's thunderous expression. "No, I thought I'd head out here on my own and make sure you pervs don't get the chance to."

"W-where do you get off calling us perverts?!" Zoisite exclaimed, irately. "Do you not understand the situation you're in right now? We could kill you in an instant, and yet you're cracking jokes?!"

Jadeite just shrugged, "Live every day like it's your last – tonight might be mine, so why not make the most of it?"

"Too right you are," Nephrite said darkly, cracking his knuckles.

Kunzite just stared up at his former comrade, puzzled. None of this made any sense. Jadeite was cocky, clever and nothing in the realm of what one would consider an idiot. The blond had to know just how suicidal it was to come alone to face the three of them, especially now that his former commander was here. None of this sat right with him…

But Nephrite and Zoisite didn't care one wit about that, it seems. Jadeite had gotten under their skins and now all that was left was blind rage.

"DIE!" Zoisite screamed, hurling the energy balls at Jadeite, obliterating his perch and creating a cloud of smoke.

Jadeite leapt through the cloud, and landed in front of them, drawing his blade.

Nephrite let out a roar and charged him, fists charged with energy that he had planned to pummel the smirking blond into paste with. But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men… His charge was thwarted by Jadeite sweeping his leg out, catching the charging bull in a stumble, which he followed up with an elbow jab to the jaw. Nephrite let out a sharp cry of pain, grasping his mouth with both hands.

"You bastard!" Zoisite shrieked, throwing more green orbs at Jadeite who dodged them almost effortlessly. The very next moment he clutched his arm in blinding pain as a sharp-looking dagger stuck out of it, blood pouring down his sleeve.

Kunzite gathered his powers, ready to end this farce before it got any more chaotic. But before he could even move, Jadeite was in his face, his eyes glinting like freshly polished steel to Kunzite. The elder Shittenou couldn't help but swallow a bit, faced with such an unnerving expression.

Suddenly, Jadeite sped off away from him, much to his confusion, then to his shock dove off the building. Was he mad?!

"Catch me if you can, guys!" Jadeite's voice traveled upwards, filing Kunzite with a new sense of dread.

"GET BACK HERE, CRETIN!" Zoisite screeched, diving after him without a second thought.

"JADEITE…!" Nephrite gave a lion-like roar, following suit after the duo before Kunzite could stop him.

"Damn it, you idiots! Can't you see what this is?"

"Well I'm glad someone can, otherwise there's no fun in it," a hauntingly familiar voice said from behind him.

Kunzite's world dropped out from under him, shooting an astonished look up to find the vision of his nightmares standing there, with the Moon at her back throwing a shadow over her otherwise gorgeous features. Sailor V stared down at him, but there was something different about her…

_Wait, that uniform…it can't be…no, impossible!_

"Oh Kunzite, always quick to deny what's right in front of your face," she said, stepping into the moonlight, clad in an orange sailor fuku but that wasn't what caught his eye. It was the gleaming mark of the Lunarian Royal Family emblazoned upon her forehead. She smiled coquettishly at him, "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

"You…all this time, I never even imagined it," the man murmured, clenching his fists in frustration. "You're Serenity, the one Beryl wants."

All this time, all of that believed to be wasted effort had suddenly paid off, and what's more she had just delivered herself right into his hands. How lucky…and unlucky, could he have gotten?

The blonde demoness nodded affirmatively, drawing out her damned chain, "So what will you do, general? Go save your men, or finally accomplish your mission and get my crystal? Decisions, decisions…better decide fast because you should know well enough by now I'm not a patient woman."

Kunzite couldn't help but laugh at the situation. His perfect plan, unraveled at the seams by an even more insidious scheme that even he had to applaud. Using Jadeite to play on his brothers' emotions, drawing them away from him so they would be easier to fight, and revealing both herself and her rue identity to force him to stay. Clever girl…

He grinned at her, "Well played, princess. You've split my men, now what?"

The sudden shift in her expression from playful to serious was so fast, it was terrifying. In what seemed like a blink, she whipped the business end of her chain across his face, leaving what was sure to be a noticeable mark on his cheek. It stung like hell, but somehow the furious look in her eyes put that on the backburner.

"Now, I'm going to kick your sorry ass," she said, her voice like steel.

Kunzite laughed again, drawing his sword and settling into a combat stance. Well, if that was the way she wanted it, then who was he to argue? Nephrite and Zoisite would have to make do without him, as capturing the Moon Princess was top priority. His queen would understand, he knew it. Besides, she'd be more focused on watching _them_ than _him_.

"Then I suppose all that's left to say is, ladies first."

The princess gave a war cry similar to his and charged him.

* * *

"Well, I got their attention, now what?" Jadeite asked breathlessly, very much aware of the two homicidal Shittenou on his tail.

_"Keep heading along that route; I'll be waiting for you and Zoisite,"_ Sailor Mercury's voice came back from the communicator Rei had let him borrow earlier.

"I hope so. I don't think I've ever seen him this mad before, and trust me, I used to make him mad a lot! He really wants me dead!"

_"Don't you dare die,"_ Sailor Mars broke in threateningly. _"You won't be forgiven if you do."_

That brought a grin to Jadeite's face, "No intentions, love. No intentions. I just really hope this plan works."

The plan was simple, really. Lure Nephrite and Zoisite away from Kunzite, leaving him to V – or rather, Princess Serenity.

He knew the truth of course and he had a feeling Rei did as well, but both of them had played along when the blonde heroine had revealed that to a stunned Usagi, Ami and Makoto. With Serenity on the field, there was no way Kunzite could resist trying to capture her to get the Silver Crystal, even if he personally thought it was insane. But the girl had just flashed him a peace sign and said to leave it to her.

Now that the two Shittenou were after him, all that was left was to lead them into Mercury, and Jupiter – in that order. At some point Mars would meet up with him, but she wasn't really meant for this stage.

_Like that'll stop her,_ he thought wryly.

_"It will, trust me,"_ Mercury said reassuringly, before the line went dead.

"JADEIIIIIITE!"

"Somehow I'm not exactly filled with confidence over here!" Jadeite yelled, narrowly dodging a barrage of Zoisite's energy balls. He counted his blessings that the arrogant peacock hadn't bothered to improve his aim, otherwise he would've been in real trouble.

Touching down on a rooftop a ways from the tower, his instincts kicked in as a loud cry filled his ears. A dive at the last second prevented him from being pummeled into paste by a furious Nephrite, the brute's landing leaving a huge crater in the roof. Jadeite stared back at his enraged former comrade with wide eyes, somewhat taken aback by the sheer ferocity in them.

"End of the line, traitor!" Zoisite cackled gleefully, floating above them with another arsenal of orbs at the ready.

**"Mercury Aqua Mist!"**

Zoisite looked up too late, as a wave of water caught him off-guard and threw him into the side of the building, the man falling down drenched in water as a blue fuku-clad figure landed gracefully in front of him. The effeminate man glared at her through sopping wet bangs, his green eyes boiling with hatred, "…you again."

"You're not going anywhere, Zoisite," Mercury said bravely, already preparing another salvo. "Jadeite, run!"

"LIKE H-GWAAGH *cough cough*!"

"I said, you're not going anywhere," Mercury said coldly, narrowing her aqua blue eyes.

Well, that was one problem taken care of, but as for the other…

Nephrite glared at him as he rose back to his full height, his body humming with barely restrained power. "Run all you like, but you're not getting away from us," the man growled.

"You haven't caught me yet," Jadeite was saying, but wasn't prepared for the bolt of dark energy that hit him. The force of the blow hit him like a truck, throwing him up against the wall hard enough for him to bite his tongue. Copper filled his taste buds, and he spat out a wad of blood onto the ground.

"Then trying running with a broken body," Nephrite said darkly, preparing to release another blast.

"HEY! JACKASS!"

Nephrite looked up just in time to see a wicked looking red high heel drive into his face, hard enough to spin him completely around, and toppling over like a domino.

Jadeite watched in a mixture of awe and dread as Mars landed in front of him, hands on her hips with her long black hair swaying in the breeze. "Uh…thanks?" He immediately regretted his words when a single amethyst eyes turned to regard him.

"What did I just tell you?" she asked crossly. "You're not allowed to die on me. The only one that's allowed to kill you is me, got it?"

"Argh…that's a hell of a girl you've got there, little brother," Nephrite remarked, working his jaw around for a minute. "But it's great you're both here. Now I don't need to waste my time trying to hunt you-"

"Oh shut up," Mars bit out, hurling a ball of fire at Nephrite's face, causing him to scream in pain. It wouldn't kill him, but it would hurt like hell for him. Luckily for him, the rain quickly snuffed the flames before they could do any real damage.

She walked over to Jadeite and helped him to his feet, supporting him, "I hope for his sake that she forgives him, otherwise I'll burn him for real next time," she remarked darkly.

Jadeite was surprised at the venom in her voice, but then again this wasn't the first time she'd talked about Nephrite like this. After that first night that V showed up, she had been extremely hostile towards Nephrite, to the point where just bringing his name up caused her to start spitting flames.

Whatever it was that she knew and he didn't, it made him think she almost hated Nephrite. Maybe she did, but that wasn't their business. There was still one part to play, the most important piece of their little scheme.

"Seems I'm needing you to bail me out more often these days," he remarked somewhat dejectedly.

"I'm settling some old scores between us, that's all," she stated aloofly, but Jadeite saw right through her. "Let's go."

"Damn you…you bitch! Jadeite, get back here you coward!" Nephrite screamed, chasing off after them again.

The pair quickly took off across the city again, the Shittenou hot on their heels and baying for their blood. As they moved, the rain began to fall harder and harder, to the point where each drop felt like small stones landing on their bodies. The winds were starting to pick up as well, nearly blowing them off course into a construction crane.

"Damn! I forgot she could do stuff like this," Jadeite remarked, staring up into the sky briefly as lightning spider-webbed through the cloud cover.

Mars gave a wicked smile. "Just wait until she gets her crystal back. That idiot is really in for it then."

* * *

The storm raged above relentlessly with no end in sight. If anything, it just kept getting stronger and stronger, to the point where each gust of wind had strands of hair slapping against her face. Raindrops poured down her face, leaving tear-like trails that reflected how she was feeling on the inside. The rage of the storm matched her mood perfectly, and she embraced its power.

She could feel it, her crystal was getting closer…Nephrite was getting closer.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she couldn't stop a slight tremble in her gloved hands. She had decided to do this, she couldn't back out now. Everyone had gone through all of this, were risking their lives so she would get this chance, this one chance to finally set things right.

There were so many things she wanted to do, all of them pertaining to her now acknowledged feelings for the man who had at once, been nothing more than her enemy. Now though…she didn't know, not for sure. All she knew was that she couldn't let things continue the way they were. She refused to keep fighting the man she had fallen for, more than that she refused to let him be a slave to that bitch Beryl any longer.

The crystal's presence was growing stronger and stronger, to the point where she could almost see herself reaching out for it. It was now or never.

She threw her hands up the sky, the little antennae extending out of her tiara as the storm, a silent plea for strength. The storm's response was swift, a single bolt of lightning stabbing down towards her aiming to skewer her where she stood. She caught the bolt in her hands, taking the raw primal energy for herself, letting it rush through her body.

She felt as though an entire ocean had just filled her being, filled to the brim.

Letting out a war cry, she let the heavens hear her decree, as the storm above echoed her.

**"Supreme Thunder!"**

* * *

Years of training was the only thing that saved Nephrite from being skewered by the bolt of lightning that came rushing at him, smashing through his barrier like wet tissue paper. With wide eyes, his attention was drawn away from the fleeing duo, and now centered squarely on the avenging angel that stood waiting for him on the rooftop across from his.

A bolt of lightning split the sky again, landing far away with the light illuminating Sailor Jupiter's determined features. The rain began to fall even harder, the wind following the same pattern as thunder rumbled at a near constant din.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?!" he shouted over the thunder, knowing she would hear him. "Even after all of this, you still intend to face me, knowing just how this will end. You're brave, I'll give you that."

"And you're deluded if you think this only has one way of ending!" Jupiter shouted back. "Not everything is set in stone, you know that as well as I do!"

"So what?!" Nephrite laughed maniacally. "What do you intend to do, Sailor Jupiter? Do you plan to beat me, here and now? Finally end this little game of ours? It has gone on longer than it should've. But the only way it will end is if one of us falls!"

"That's not the only way! Nephrite, I…I-!"

"SAVE IT!" Nephrite roared, his eyes glowing with fury. "One of us will die tonight Jupiter, one of us will walk away from this fight… who will it be? You or me?!"

Then, to his never-ending surprise, Jupiter shook her head, giving him a smile that had him both crawling on the inside, and strangely comforted. He did all he could to crush that last bit. "I will not fight you, Nephrite. I am going to save you, but first," she held out her hand to him, as if expecting something from him, "you have something of mine that I'd like back."

Nephrite was about to call her crazy when he felt something tug on his jacket, then the sound of fabric ripping. To his shock, the damned emerald crystal that gave him literal hell a while before shot out like a bullet towards Jupiter, slowing down as it reached her grasp. He watched as she took hold of it almost lovingly, then pulled it toward her chest. A bright emerald light, too bright for his eyes obscured her form then, forcing him to turn away with a hiss. The effect was only brief however, and a sense of dread suddenly filled him like nothing had before. Not Beryl…not Metaria…nothing…

…except the way those same emerald eyes were now looking at him…like they knew everything about him.

"Neph," Jupiter spoke, and something about her voice was both strangely familiar…and utterly terrifying. "You have been a very bad boy, lately."

A snarl manifested on Nephrite's face, "Just who the hell do you think you're talking to, little girl?!" he roared throwing a powerful wave of dark energy at her.

Jupiter merely threw out her hand and responded with a wave of energy of her own, green in color to his black, slamming against his and canceling it out. The act stunned him. When the hell had she learned to do that?

Jupiter's mesmerizing eyes locked onto his again, "We have a lot to discuss, darling. And if you think about running from me," she held up a glowing green hand, crackling with energy, "know that you won't get far."

* * *

(I told you the storm would break soon, both literally and figuratively. Jupiter's got her crystal back, and with it a bunch of knowledge of stuff she didn't know how to do before. Trust me, buffering Nephrite's powers with her own is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only that but we've got three different fights going on, as well as Sailor Moon - I haven't forgotten about her, don't worry! - and a watchful Beryl who is about to have a really bad day. And it's not over yet. Tune in next time for the Sihttenou ass-beating of a lifetime!)


	12. Chapter 12

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

**"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"**

Another youma turned to dust after being struck by the senshi's weapon, but its position as quickly filled by three more that looked equally enraged. Their snarls and hisses sent spine-tingling shivers down the blonde heroine's back, but she forced a determined expression on her face as she faced the hordes of hell.

"Catch me if you can, scaly!" she said, sticking her tongue out for good measure before scrambling out of the way of one of their lunges. She took off like a bullet, racing across the rooftops with the youma nipping at her heels.

Literally, in this case.

"This is the last time I'm ever doing something like this…!" she yelled loudly into the sky, giving a little squeak each time one of them nearly caught her by her long, long hair.

_In times like these, long hair is a very bad thing,_ she groused, before feeling a familiar feeling surge through her body.

Sliding to a stop, she drew forth her tiara again and charged it up, **"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"** The golden discus sailed through the air, this one cutting straight through two of them at once this time. The extra power had further drained her as a result, however.

Seeing that there was only left now however made her smirk, folding her arms across her chest haughtily, "Hah, not so scary without your pals to back you up, are ya?!"

The youma just gave a face splitting grin, as two shadows morphed to life and gave forms not unlike the one that had been left standing, now once again three in total.

"Ok that's just not fair!" she whined, trying to power up for another attack only for the youma to act first. A dive roll saved her from being disemboweled, but only just. Her tiara, however, wasn't as fortunate and was flung out of her hands sent skidding across the rooftop. "Oh, crap!"

The youma hissed triumphantly and prepared to pounce when all three of them were struck by something, exploding into dust with screeches of pain that were barely heard over the thunder of the storm.

"What-?" Before she could utter a response, she felt a warm, familiar presence wash over and wrap her up, nearly losing herself in the sensation briefly before she recognized it. "…Tuxedo Kamen!" she breathed, eyes wide as she looked up at the man who had become her personal guardian angel…

…and the obsession that haunted her dreams ever since she transformed weeks ago.

"Seems trouble follows you on a regular basis," the masked hero remarked playfully.

Once more drawn in by those blue eyes of his, all she could do was nod and swallow a bit, clamping down on her urges to kiss this man senseless, true identity or not.

Reality, of course, decided to come knocking and shattered their little brother with the arrival of several more shadow youma, all of them hissing and snarling at the two heroes, baying for their blood.

She was still a little frightened by them but unlike before, she felt confident that she could take them…especially now that she had her literal prince charming by her side. She didn't know what it was, but just having him nearby made her feel so at ease, and strong. Strong enough to take on the entire Dark Kingdom by herself! There was just one problem though… "Um, I hate to point this out, but I lost my tiara earlier."

"You mean the one on your head right now?"

"Yes the one on my – _what_?" she quickly felt up on her forehead and sure enough, her fingers rubbed up against the comforting metal of her tiara. Hearing the man chuckle next to her, her cheeks flushed a bit, "I-it wasn't there before, ok?!"

"Whatever you say, princess," the black-haired hero replied, staring off into space the moment he uttered that then shook his head a bit. "Don't worry, we've got this."

"Yeah… Yeah, we do!" she said confidently, grabbing her tiara again and grinning at the youma, who suddenly seemed to be hesitating. Good.

_Mako-chan, don't worry. You just worry about getting that jerk of a boyfriend of yours to realize how stupid he's been._

With the next crack of thunder, the battle resumed in earnest but this time, it was the youma that were on the defensive.

* * *

"Damn it, where did he come from?" Beryl growled, glaring daggers at the one thing that, aside from the Senshi themselves, had helped Sailor Moon become the biggest thorn in her side. She could never see him, or tell when or where he would show up, and seem to only pop up whenever Sailor Moon was nearby.

Or in trouble, as she herself had witnessed far too many times that masked nuisance dragging the girl out of harm's way whenever to she got in over her head.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any more frustrating, what with her Shittenou now scattered, facing off against their former loves – or in Kunzite's case, facing off against the moon brat.

Beryl herself wasn't so sure about that little revelation. As she recalled, the moon brat was deceptive, using others to get what she wanted and never doing things herself. This Princess Serenity however seemed like she was born to star the lead role and thrived in it.

That still left Zoisite facing Sailor Mercury and more concerning as of late, Nephrite against Sailor Jupiter. The former she wasn't all that concerned about since she knew where Zoisite's loyalties lie. Mercury was brilliant, as loathe as she was to admit it, but Beryl remembered just how tenuous her relationship with Zoisite was. There wasn't much there between them that the water Senshi could use to turn Zoisite, at least at this stage of the game.

Or so she hoped. But right now all they seemed like they wanted to do was throw water and energy at each other – though the latter was definitely the more common theme in their case.

No, her true concerns were with Nephrite and Jupiter…and for good reasons.

"Those damned crystals…what makes them so special? I've never even heard of such things."

**_"Because for all your power, you still lack vision, Beryl,"_** Metaria's voice rumbled through the dark cavern of the throne room.**_ "Those crystals are, in essence, the souls of the Senshi. Each of them trusted your Shittenou a great deal enough to entrust them with these, thus linking their fates together."_**

Beryl scowled into her crystal ball, _**"I don't understand, master."**_

**_"Ignorant child. What I am saying to you is that those crystals contain the memories as well as the feelings of their past selves, a remnant of their former selves at the height of their power."_**

The implications weren't lost on Beryl. And as she revisited just how drastically things had changed the moment she saw Sailor Mars reclaim that crystal from Jadeite, it all revealed a horrifying truth. If what her master was saying was true, the crystals were the last true vestiges of the Silver Millennium Inner Senshi; their minds, their memories, their powers…their hearts.

To put it bluntly, those crystals would allow the Senshi to reclaim their former selves, to an extent. But that little piece was more than enough to remind those girls who the men they were fighting were to them, and worse still, how much they wanted them back.

Mars had reclaimed her crystal and had taken Jadeite from her because of it. And now, Jupiter had just reclaimed her own crystal from Nephrite, which meant things were about to become very messy.

But that didn't mean she didn't have a contingency for such an occasion, however distasteful she personally found it.

Still, there was one shred of hope for her plans, one she was putting all of her money on. In that final battle so long ago, Nephrite had done something horrific to Jupiter, something that no sane woman would ever forgive them for – the murder of their bastard child.

The thought of Jupiter realizing that and frying Nephrite was a delightful one, if only because it meant that she could simply bring back Nephrite and not have to worry about his defiance ever again.

After all, puppets were only defined by the strings that governed them – and Nephrite, like the rest of his brothers, was no different in that aspect.

* * *

"Die, you little minx!" Zoisite yelled, hurling another barrage of energy balls at the damned elusive brat.

**"Mercury Aqua Mist!"** Mercury shouted, sending another salvo to intercept Zoisite's assault, both attacks canceling each other out.

Zoisite gritted his teeth. Back and forth this dance had gone on, each of them trying to find some advantage over the other to no avail. It was aggravating in the extreme for the man. This little brat had dared stand against him, one of the feared Holy Shittenou of the Dark Kingdom, making him look like a complete fool!

What was worse was that every time he tried to leave her behind to chase after Jadeite, she made it impossible for him to see two feet in front of him. Damn her, and damn that fog of hers. It was so thick you could've cut it with a steak knife and still would've had trouble punching all the way through!

"It doesn't have to be this way," her voice floated through the fog but it sounded as if she was all around him.

Zoisite scoffed, "You're right about that. Now stop playing around with me and fight me, Senshi! Or could it be, that after our last little debacle, did I teach you to fear me?"

"I fear, yes," she admitted, which surprised him. "But I fear _for_ you, not _of_ you."

Fear _for_ him? She was actually concerned for him? What a ludicrous thought! They were enemies, sworn to fight each other to the death – an end that would come that much quicker if she would stop hiding behind her curtain of mist. "That's sweet, you're bringing tears to my eyes, Mercury."

The wave of water blindsided him even before he registered the words, throwing him forward a bit, but he managed to keep his balance. Still, he grinned. "Struck a nerve, did I?"

"Do not mock me," she said coldly, her tone actually making him shudder a bit before he clamped down on it. "You are not a monster, Zoisite."

"Whoever said I was?!" he cackled madly. "Assumptions, assumptions! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one of your little group."

"Your actions dictate otherwise."

Zoisite scoffed, "I serve a higher power, a force that will sweep over this land like a tsunami and there is little anyone can do to stop it, even you and your little friends. So what if my actions are seen as terrorism? It's all to serve the one who will bring order and peace to this world."

That was his queen's dream, or at least what he viewed it as. Once they had the Silver Crystal, all would be made right. And Beryl was nothing if not tenacious when it came to her dreams…

Suddenly, the mist began to lift and Zoisite found that Mercury was standing not far from him, but instead of the guarded hostility from before when she had gotten the jump on him, there was a certain sadness in her eyes.

"You truly believe that, don't you...?" she said, her voice soft and her eyes full of pity.

Seeing her like this, Zoisite felt a number of feelings nick at his thoughts; the first was the fact he had never seen her like this, even in their previous confrontations. It unnerved him for reasons he couldn't really place. More puzzling still were her words – how…disappointed she sounded. Guilt flared through him like a fresh burn, the thought of which reigniting his rage anew.

"I couldn't care less what you think of me, Senshi," he spat the last word out with all the venom he could muster, hoping it would make her flinch. It didn't, which only made him angrier. "What I do care about is that right now, you're all alone and nobody is going to be there to bail you out this time." He once more summoned his arsenal of energy orbs, the green spheres hovering behind him in an ominous manner.

Mercury closed her eyes briefly then reopened them, and once more they were filled with the hostility he was so readily familiar with. But there was something else too, something that he had seen all too much in that damned moon brat's eyes – determination. "I'm going to stop you, Zoisite. Both for the world's sake…and yours."

* * *

V grunted as she blocked another one of Kunzite's swings, forcing him back only to block yet another one. Batting away sword strokes with her chain likely hadn't been the best idea in her book, but what could she do? Her powers were still sealed away, locked due to Queen Serenity's wish during the Collapse. Even regaining her crystal back in London hadn't fixed that, though she didn't get it from Kunzite in the first place. For the umpteenth time, she cursed Danburite's name, his words coming back to haunt her.

_"Your love future will forever be bleak, and you will fight the rest of your existence…"_

Well, screw that. She was the incarnation of Aphrodite herself, the Goddess of Love and Beauty; and there was simply no way she would be denied her soul mate.

Getting him back, however, was proving to be tricky. Whatever spell Beryl had put on the Shittenou, she had slapped on a double dose where Kunzite was concerned. The man hardly recognized her and when he did, it was as his enemy, not the person who had poured out all her heart and soul to him. Fighting him was one of the single hardest things she ever had to do, both in this life and the last. She could fight him and maybe win, but it killed her inside to do so.

Kunzite leapt backwards as she did the same, both of them breathing hard from their duel. The scene reminded her of their old bouts in the training halls of the Moon Palace, testing each other endlessly in both a game of skill and, in some cases, even to settle a little…frustration.

She quickly forced back those memories before her face turned into a tomato. Now was not the time for that.

"What's the matter…Kunzite…getting tired?" she asked, breathlessly.

"I could ask you the same, your highness!" Kunzite shot back, a small grin on his face. "I never expected that the princess would be such an adept fighter. It would make sense since you avoided my queen's eye all this time."

"Talking about other women is a huge mood killer, Kunzy," V remarked flirtatiously, regaining her composure a bit. Sure it was unprofessional, but she refused to hide her desire for the man in front of her. No one else had ever affected her the way he did, and no one ever would.

"It will not be the only thing that is killed tonight," Kunzite returned darkly, narrowing his eyes at her. "I'll ask you once more – give me the Silver Crystal, and I will ask my queen to be merciful."

The blonde's gloved hands curled into fists, barring her teeth in a visible snarl, "The last thing I want is that witch's mercy," she spat, venomously.

Kunzite's eyes darkened, "Do not disrespect my queen in front of me."

She threw back her head and laughed bitterly, "Your _queen_? Kunzite, you are a lot of things but I never once took you for a blind fool. You think she's your ruler? Wake up, you idiot. You're serving a usurper, a murderer who put herself on a throne of bones and a kingdom built on a lie. The one who-!"

"Enough with these lies!" Kunzite shouted, showing real anger for the first time. "Queen Beryl will shake this world to its roots, and once our great ruler is freed, then the galaxy will be next. Our cause is honorable, and yet you stand in its way every single time."

At his words, something inside her snapped. "Honorable…? Where's the honor in draining people of their life force? Where is the honor is terrorizing children? Where is the honor in serving a woman who would sooner kill every last woman in the galaxy than see them with the one she covets? And where," she growled, glaring at Kunzite with teary eyes, "is the honor…in fighting the one you swore to always cherish?"

Despite herself, she wished she had a camera to capture the shock and confusion on Kunzite's face right now. He actually looked stunned by her words for once instead of just glaring at her with that damned cold expression of his. In the past, Kunzite was never an openly emotional person but the few times he did show it were the ones she treasured. This moment was no different because it filled her with something she felt slipping away before-

Hope.

But, like a switch, Kunzite's astonishment vanished as his expression darkened again. He was silent, not really staring at her but seemed to be listening for something…or, more accurately, to someone.

_Beryl,_ she groused. _One day I swear I will free him from your claws, bitch._

"…Understood, my queen," Kunzite said, then sheathed his sword, to her shock. "Regrettably, princess…our little dance has to end here, for now."

"Kunzite, what are you-?" She barely threw up her hands in time to block the sudden barrage of energy that threatened to knock her off the roof. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find Kunzite gone from sight which spurned another set of worries.

She had been the only thing holding him back, knowing that she couldn't beat him, but hoping to garner his attention long enough for Jupiter to set Nephrite straight if she could. But now, Kunzite was gone and if he had just been contacted by Beryl, that meant he was heading to only one place.

"Oh no, Jupiter!"

* * *

Nephrite's mirrored that of the storm raging above, as Jupiter dodged the flurry of dark energy blasts from him. Each bolt she felt was strong enough to end her in one go, yet she avoided them with almost a dancer-like grace. It was because she knew how Nephrite attacked or, more accurately, remembered how he would in their past lives when they trained together. Always testing each other, always pushing each other, these were but a fraction of the fond memories that empowered her now thanks to the return of her crystal.

Its return had made so many things clear to her. Her initial attraction to Nephrite when he had been nothing more than her enemy, the excitement she felt whenever she faced off against him in their little duels, and most importantly the way he made her loneliness vanish even at the point of what others would consider certain death. These things filled her with newfound power and courage that allowed her to finally do what she should've done the minute she saw that flicker of light in this man's eyes.

Come hell or high water, one way or another, this would end tonight.

"STOP MOVING YOU BITCH!" Nephrite snarled, hurling blast after blast at her, each shot never quite hitting its mark.

"Nephrite, stop fighting me," she asked calmly after evading another beam of energy.

A sneer rolled across the man's otherwise handsome features, "Yeah, or what?"

Her eyes became as dark as the storm clouds above, power beginning to radiate from her body, "You know damn well what, moron. Pushing me never has worked out well for you in the past."

"In the past? What nonsense are you spouting girl? We are enemies, plain and simple. And you're going to die tonight."

Jupiter lifted an eyebrow questioningly, "Really? Then how come you aren't trying to kill me?"

"I _AM_!" Nephrite roared. "You're not exactly making this easy for me, Jupiter."

"I never have, love," the brunette returned with a warm smile. "But that didn't stop you before and it shouldn't now. Please Nephrite, we don't have to fight." She sucked in a deep breath and took a step towards him.

Suddenly, a look passed across his face quickly before it was smothered by anger, "DIE!" He threw another wave of energy at her which she again dodged, a frown crossing her features this time. More blasts were hurled her way but this time, she could see the pattern of the attacks. What's more, she realized just what Nephrite was doing.

_He's not trying to kill me like he says; he's trying to keep me away from him,_ she realized with growing confidence…and irritation. _If you think that's going to stop me, you've got another thing coming, buddy._

Dodging yet another blast, this one tearing through the tie that held her ponytail up, she called on the energy of the storm and focused. Her hair, now free of its prison, flowed down her back and whipped across her face as the winds picked up, the lightning picking up in pace. Her eyes shot open, glowing green orbs directed solely at the auburn-haired man. **"Jupiter Thunder Bolt!"**

Nephrite dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the bolt of lightning that would've skewered him on the spot, surprise and frustration flaring across his face. He was so distracted by the near vaporization that he completely forgot about his opponent.

Big mistake.

"NEPHRIIIIIIITE!" Jupiter screamed, soaring across the threshold and hammering one white gloved fist into his face, spinning the man completely around in a 360, grasping his jaw in shock. Through her long brown locks, Jupiter glared at him with a hard look, "I lost you once, and I refuse to lose you again."

"You're a fool then," he spat, literally, a wad of blood out of his mouth. "I am a Shittenou, and you're a Sailor Senshi; we're fated to destroy each other, that's it."

"I'll be the judge of that," she said defiantly, and rushed towards him with her fists raised. More blasts came her way, each one very much aimed at her now. Nephrite wasn't kidding around anymore then – good, it was about time he got serious.

* * *

This woman was either mad, insane, suicidal or all of the above, Nephrite thought as she fought her way towards him, avoiding all of his blows. He hated to admit it but if nothing else, she was determined. That little tidbit hadn't changed even as a Sailor Senshi. If anything it defined the girl that was fighting so valiantly for…for what? Was this even about fighting for her world – their world?

Or, was she really fighting for _him_?

He shoved the thought aside, concentrating on trying to keep her from reaching him. That punch of hers had knocked him senseless for a minute, and his already muddled up mind had become even more murky. His thought were everywhere all at once, never following the same lines that they used to. First that damned crystal and now this; why couldn't things just go his way for once? Why couldn't he serve his queen without hesitation and do what needed to be done? Why couldn't the human world just vanish into nothing? Why…

Why did Kino Makoto and Sailor Jupiter have to be the same person?

If they had been separate, this would've been a hell of a lot easier for him but instead, he had found out they were one and the same. Makoto had trusted him, her enemy, her ultimate secret, a secret that literally would've gotten her killed. And for the thousandth time, he wondered why…why had he not just ended her right then and there. He was a Dark Kingdom general, one who lead the armies of darkness and wiped out any obstacles to their grand vision of a better world. Sailor Jupiter more than qualified as an obstacle, a legitimate threat to their ambition so why…

**_"Because she knew you wouldn't,"_** a voice suddenly said, lowering his guard enough for Jupiter to slip in.

She was too slow however, and he had already gotten another blast ready to fire that made her halt. He forced a grin on his face, "Game over, Senshi. You put up a good fight but it's my win."

He expected anger, frustration, even the fear that had once crossed her face one a similar night like this before… But instead, she smiled at him with absolute trust in her eyes.

"Then go ahead."

Nephrite blinked, stunned. "W-what did you say?"

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly and repeated herself, "I said go ahead. Do what you feel you need to do, Nephrite. I've done my part."

Several emotions surged through him almost at the same time: surprise, confusion, distrust, frustration, anger, the latter becoming dominant over all the others, showing on his face as she let out a yell.

"_Go ahead_? That's what you're telling me to do? Simply end you right here and now, just like that?!"

Jupiter remained calm even as he screamed into her face. "It's what you wanted, right? To destroy me, my sisters, then destroy the world. All for you and your queen's vision, right?"

This wasn't making any sense. Was this girl serious? He had her dead to rights! DEAD! One flex of his hand and that would be the end of her, for good! And yet…she still stood here, staring at him with that…understanding smile and trusting look of hers.

_Has she lost it?!_ He screamed internally.

**_"No, she merely trusts that we will do what's right."_**

_The hell does that mean?! And who the hell are you?!_

**_"You know damn well what it means and who I am, idiot. Look inside yourself, and you will see it…see what she sees."_**

Before he could continue to yell at this strange and infuriating voice, Jupiter's voice drug him back to reality.

"Nephrite…do what you have to do, ok? I've fought this far to get here and if I'm going to die, well, I'd rather it be by your hand. The last thing I want is to kill you…I refuse to do that again."

_Again…Again? What the hell does that mean?_

The throbbing in his head that had been plaguing him for hours now, was slowly becoming a real headache that him wincing.

Her eyes flittered up into his, tears glimmering in them as they reflected his visage to him, "It doesn't matter because no matter how long it takes, no matter how many times it ends like this… I won't give up on you. We promised each other; do you remember that? We would fight until our reason to fight wasn't there anymore, and _you_ are my reason. Ever since I've met you I've been denying how drawn to you I was until it was too late. You've done some horrible things in this life but I've also seen great kindness from the man you used to be…from the man I _know_ you are. So, if this is the end of one chapter, then let me leave you with this," she said, and before he could stop her, cupped his face in her hands, "I have, and always will love you, Nephrite. And no matter how many lifetimes it takes, I will save you."

Her hands fell to her sides after that, that trusting look on her face fading into a watery smile that tore him up inside. And if that wasn't enough, her words had done something to him. The little headache had blossomed into a raging pain that had him closing his eyes in pain, as what seemed like a dam had finally lost its long war against the tidal wave of images, voices, and memories that now flooded his mind.

Earth…the Golden Kingdom…The Shittenou…the Golden Palace…Kings and Queens…Princes and Princesses… And…

The thing that stuck out, most of all, was the brief vision of a feminine figure standing alone in front of a glimmering lake, the wind blowing softly across her dress that glimmered like a thousand tiny emeralds. When she turned to him, the face that had haunted his dreams, he finally could put a name to it…

_Princess…Jupiter…Sailor Jupiter…_

A barrage of memories assaulted his mind then, nearly causing him to black out. For the first time, he could now recognize the phantom of his dreams but what was more, he could feel the powerful wave of love that threatened to wash him away.

Every moment, from their first meeting that ended with him on the ground, to the moment they realized their feelings for each other at that same lake near the palace, and even their union that bonded them for eternity. Her smile, her eyes, the way she looked both with her hair up in public and down when they were alone together; her likes, dislikes, her dreams and fears, all of it poured into him and for the first time, he didn't stop it.

For the first time in perhaps forever…he felt at peace, and more than that, he felt _wanted_.

When next he looked into the eyes of the girl before him, the woman would eventually become, it was as if he had awoken from a long nightmare and was seeing the light of a new day. And there to greet him, would be the young girl/warrior that stood before him.

"Ju…Jupiter?"

"N-Nephrite?" she asked cautiously, staring up at him hopefully.

Time seemed to stand still, the world and the storm fading into the background leaving only the two of them standing together, Nephrite reaching out but hesitating, afraid to touch her as if the very image of her would shatter in his hands.

Jupiter, like always, seemed to sense his emotions and gently took hold of his hands, placing them on her face with a tremulous smile curling her lips upward.

Nephrite swallowed hard, "Is…is this real?" he asked, breathlessly.

Jupiter choked back a sob, nodding vigorously, "As real as it will be, Neph. It took you long enough, sleepy head."

That, it seemed, was all that was needed to finally throw caution into the wind, the man pulling the girl into his arms and shoving his face into her hair while she did the same to his chest, throwing her slender arms around his waist.

"I…I've missed you…so much…I-" he stammered, trembling in her arms.

"Shhh, love, it's alright…your nightmare's over. It's finally, _finally_ over."

What happened next, even Nephrite couldn't have seen coming. But when it did, he did as he always had and acted.

When he saw the familiar glint of steel, Nephrite threw Jupiter to the side and roared, "NOOOO!" His body shuddered in agony as the blade ripped him open from stem to stern, watching as Kunzite's grim expression rapidly turned into one of shock. But the sound that drowned out all others, was his soul mate's scream.

"NEPHRIIIIIIIIIIIITE!"

* * *

(Cliffhanger! So, yeah, this chapter almost wasn't going to come out today since I didn't think I could find a stopping point, but then writer's block said, "hey. 'member me?" So now unfortunately, I had to split what would've been the final chapter before the epilogue into two parts. Have no fear though, because the finale will be next Sunday without delays or early additions. So glad catering is done...I am likely never doing that again. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this and tune in next time for seeing on the scale how screwed Kunzite just made himself, lmao)


	13. Chapter 13

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

"I can walk, you know?" Jadeite grumbled.

"It's faster this way," Sailor Mars said, as they leapt over another yawning chasm between the buildings. She'd been carrying him ever since Nephrite had nearly pulverized the man, the two of them leading the raging Shittenou right into Sailor Jupiter's hands. Now that their role in this was over, they were heading somewhere safe – at least, that's what Mars was planning. They'd risked too much this time, or rather, Jadeite had.

"Afraid I'll slow you down, are you?" Jadeite pressed, much to her ire.

"It's too risky where we are, so just hold on for now."

Silence passed between them until they landed on another rooftop, Jadeite letting out a sigh. "Rei, really, I'm fine. Just a little shook up."

"You almost weren't," she shot back, making the man flinch. Part of her regretted her words but right now the part of her that cared about this idiot was in control. "I told you not to take any stupid risks."

"It paid off in the end, didn't it?" Jadeite retorted.

"You could've died!"

"It was a necessary-"

Furious amethyst eyes turned on him, "I swear to Aries, if you finish that sentence I will throw you off this roof myself!" she snarled, fighting back tears. Damn this man. She hated how much he affected her, how easy it was for him to make her blow a gasket or have a heart attack.

She had hated for Jadeite to even have been out there in the first place given that he only recently recovered from Beryl's surprise attack. When they'd been planning this trap, she'd argued with him over being the bait for the other Shittenou, citing how risky it was as well as how worried she'd be if he did it – not that she voiced that last part, of course. She had her dignity to maintain.

But in the end, Sailor V had been convinced and agreed to Jadeite's idea was the only way this could be pulled off, even though Mars knew she hated it just as much. Jadeite was like an older brother to her just like in their past lives, and she just knew the blonde would be just as worried as her.

Suddenly she felt a hand land on her shoulder, looking up to find Jadeite giving her a small apologetic smile, "I'm sorry I worried you," he said sincerely. "But you and I both know that I was the only thing that would've drawn them off. It had to be done."

Mars huffed impatiently. Like she hadn't known that already. But that didn't mean she had to like it. "Next time I'm not bailing you out," she tried to sound aloof, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Let's hope there isn't one, then?" Jadeite replied with an easy grin that didn't fail to make butterflies flutter in her stomach. It was only brief though, the grin replaced by a serious expression, "Speaking of bailing out, we should go help out Sailor Moon. I know she volunteered for distracting Beryl's forces, but I'd feel better knowing we were there to give her a hand."

The raven-haired girl nodded and together, the two took off again, Jadeite standing on his own power and keeping up with her pretty well. She still kept glancing out of the corner of her eye at him, until something bright caught her eye. Once she saw what it was, her eyes widened and she couldn't stifle the gasp that flew out her mouth.

She had to keep herself from rubbing her eyes as if to wipe away the scene of Moon working in tandem with Tuxedo Mask against a horde of youma, but that wasn't what had her in disbelief. It was the the fact that the two of them were working in complete synch with each other, moving as if they were one entity. This Sailor Moon was nothing she could relate to the bumbling heroine she'd faced off with in training. This was a Sailor Moon that was making youma scramble for their lives while she directed her tiara to slice through three of them at once! And what was more, she was even able to watch Tuxedo Mask's back as he entered a melee with a few of the youma with his cane.

Setting down nearby to avoid falling, she couldn't help but be captivated by what she was seeing. Was this really the same girl that was Usagi Tsukino?

A low whistle to her left alerted her to Jadeite standing next to her, a look of awe on his face. "Well, looks like we worried for nothing," he remarked with a bit of a grin. "Still, considering how much I've gotten knocked around tonight, I could use a little stress relief."

Both of them jumped down into the melee, Mars landing a red-heeled foot right into a youma's back, letting a brief swirl of flame travel down her body to incinerate the monster. Jadeite drew his sword and cut apart two youma at once, sending a wave of energy into a third with a smirk in her direction. Rolling her eyes, she hurled another fireball at the youma horde that was becoming aware of their presence.

They weren't the only ones, either.

"Mars! Jadeite!" Moon exclaimed happily.

"Couldn't let you guys have all the fun, right?" Jadeite shouted back with a grin. His grin vanished in an instant, however, replaced by a look of anger "Think again you bastard!" he snarled, leaping over to where a youma had snuck up on Tuxedo Mask. Mars was surprised by the sudden change in her boyfriend, but didn't have time to linger on it. Her friend needed her help.

* * *

Jadeite wasn't sure what it was about seeing the masked man in danger that made him react the way he did, considering he'd seen it plenty of times beforehand. This wasn't the first time the tuxedo-wearing hero had shown up to help in their battles, even if he realized it was mostly to keep Moon out of danger. But this was the first time he'd ever felt such…anger at seeing him about to get snuck up on.

It should've worried him, he thought, feeling this protective of a man he scarcely knew anything about. And why now of all nights, when the Shittenou had all been gathered again? Could that have been the reason? And if so, what did tux boy here have to do with it?

"Thanks for the save," the masked man was saying, gratefully. "They're just like roaches, aren't they?"

"All the more reason to crush them," Jadeite shot back through gritted teeth, feeling a weird sense of déjà vu all of a sudden. Why was he starting to feel like this around this guy? And why now when they'd fought together plenty of times before?

His musings were thrown to the side when a pair of larger looking youma appeared, growling at them. Jadeite brought up his blade, backing up into Tuxedo mask's back, glaring at the approaching beasts. E heard the masked man chuckle quietly. "I don't think I'd be laughing about this, if I were you."

"It's not that, it's just…I feel I've been in this position before but can't for the life of me recall where," the man admitted, stunning Jadeite momentarily before remembering the youma.

Another crack of lightning echoed in the distance, the flash lighting up the area briefly before the youma lunged forward with a roar. Both of the heroes met the two a clash of claws, blade and cane, neither willing to ground. Jadeite batted off the heavy, meaty swings of the youma, looking for an opening with no luck at the moment. On top of being bigger, this one seemed smarter than the others that were previously harassing them.

**"TRAITOR!"**

And of course, it could talk.

Jadeite stepped out of the way of a thrust that would've probably disemboweled him had he not moved, finally finding a chance to strike back. Twirling into position, he answered with a thrust of his own, plunging his blade straight into the beast's side causing it to let out a squeal of agony. He drew back his blade, letting out a brief exhale until his instincts went haywire. Whirling around, he spotted another youma rising up to rake him to the bone with its claws…until a rose flew into its eye causing it to back off with a squeal of pain.

Jadeite didn't hesitate to cut the beast down, shooting a look over towards Tuxedo Mask who was standing over the remains of a rapidly decaying youma. The masked man gave him a smirk, Jadeite finding himself returning it.

_Guess he's not just a playboy,_ he mused wryly.

**"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"**

**"Mars Fire Soul!"**

Jadeite and Tuxedo Mask looked over just in time to see a trapped youma be incinerated by Mar's flames, the golden ring returning to Moon's hands as she stood next to the fire Senshi that was readying to let loose another volley at the remaining youma. For the first time, the youma actually looked afraid, not at all helped by the fact that Mars was smiling rather evilly at them. Moon, for her part, mirrored the look as best she could, spurned on by her friend's confidence.

Jadeite swallowed hard. He thanked the stars that he wasn't in those youmas' position right now as Tuxedo Mask came to stand next to them.

"They make a good team," the man remarked only so Jadeite could hear, the latter giving a nod.

The very next second, it heard and felt as though another atom bomb had gone off. Jadeite nearly fell to one knee as the sound assaulted his ear drums, and he wasn't the only one. But was more surprising was the fact that the youma were now in full retreat as though the devil himself were on their heels.

"What the…?"

"L-look…the sky!" someone yelled.

Jadeite's eyes shot up, his eyes widening when he saw the arcs of green lightning that were surging towards one singular point on a rooftop far away, a rooftop where they had led Nephrite to-?

"Jupiter!" Moon exclaimed in horror, Mars supporting her by wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

Jadeite's stomach dropped. Had something happened with Jupiter and Nephrite? The power he was feeling…it was terrifying. It felt as though the entire storm was being funneled into that one spot. This wasn't good.

"We have to go, NOW!" Moon demanded, moving to take off until a gloved hand wrapped around her arm.

"We can't; we'll get fried before we get close to them!" Mars warned her, worry written across her face for her friend.

"I don't care, let me go!"

Suddenly, as quickly as the storm gathered, it was enveloped in a bright flash of green lightning that was almost as bright as the sun itself. Everyone shielded their eyes and ears this time, as a thunderous boom and rumble shook heaven and earth, every one of them feeling the earth tremble beneath their feet.

After what seemed like forever, Jadeite risked a look, and was shocked by what he saw. The storm was and the light were gone, but it had left a scar upon the city in the form of a massive gaping hole in the incomplete building it had burned through. He swallowed hard.

_I knew Sailor Senshi were powerful, but…to see something like that…_

There was no doubt now that something had happened with Jupiter and Nephrite…something horrible.

"Jupiter!" Moon screamed, breaking free of Mars' grip before she could stop her and racing off towards where her friend was, Mars in hot pursuit.

Jadeite stared after them, feeling helpless all of a sudden. What the hell had just happened? "Damn it," he growled, about to take off himself only to remember he hadn't heard anything out of Tuxedo Mask since this all started.

So it came a complete surprise when he saw the proud hero kneeling down with hand pressed against his forehead, sweating profusely. He didn't know what possessed him but he was at his side in an instant, giving him a once over.

"Hey, hey, don't give out on us now, alright?" he tried to sound encouraging, but the fear of the situation was getting to him.

"I…I need to go. We need to go," the masked man finally sound, his voice strained as he tried to get to his feet only to lose his balance.

Jadeite let out a sigh and helped support the man, throwing his arm over his shoulder, "Well we're not going to get there like this. Hang on tight."

The two lifted off, heading in the direction of Jupiter and Nephrite's building, Jadeite for the first time realizing that he couldn't feel Nephrite anymore.

_Damn it Neph, you better not die on us,_ he swore as they began their approach to the building.

* * *

Sailor Mercury tapped her earring, dispersing the visor that had been shielding her eyes. The sudden flash of lightning had been about as bright as an atom bomb, forcing her to either turn away or find some way to shield her eyes. The visor had originally been used to calculate how much dark energy was infesting Zoisite, hoping to somehow get an understanding of where things stood between them both on a power level and a spiritual level.

Zoisite was strong, of course. But there was one glimmer of hope – his body wasn't completely consumed by dark energy, meaning that maybe just maybe she'd have a chance.

But that was before the flash of lightning that had come from the area where Nephrite had been led off by Mars and Jadeite. The brief spike in power she had recorded was unbelievable! How had Sailor Jupiter been able to summon that much power? Or the better question would be – why?

"Urgh…damn it, what the hell was that?" came an annoyed hiss, reminding her she was not alone. Zoisite was furiously rubbing at his eyes, as if he were fighting off sleep and grumbling to himself all the while. "Was this part of your little scheme too, Mercury?"

"I…don't know what's going on," she admitted, more in awe than anything. Especially once she saw the damage the unfinished building in the distance now sported, a glowing gaping hole that she knew well enough was white-hot. She bit her lip in worry.

Had something happened with Jupiter and Nephrite?

"Urgh…whatever, like it matters. Nephrite probably pissed off that thunder Senshi of his for the last time. What a grand exit from this world, I'll admit!"

Her eyes widened at that in horror, before a fury unlike anything before entered her, "Don't you dare say that! She would never do that to Nephrite, ever!" she shouted at him, the show of real anger stunning both of them.

Taken aback he was, the effeminate man rallied with a cocky smirk, "So sure about that are we? What if he didn't give her a chance? By my reckoning he fully intended on killing all of you tonight, starting with her. Granted I'm not saying that I support it, but as loathe as I am to admit, you brats are warriors and when faced with life and death, there are two choices – die, or live. Your fellow Senshi probably chose the latter."

"And how can you be so sure of that," she demanded, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She couldn't believe him, she just couldn't! If what he was saying was true, then what did that mean for them…?

Zoisite gave her the evilest grin as he said, "Simple: because I can't feel my older brother's energy anymore."

Mercury's throat constricted, blue eyes wide with horror.

_No, no that can't be right - it has to be a lie!_

"You're lying!"

Zoisite's grin only grew, "Am I? Then use that little computer of yours and prove me wrong. I'll wait." To emphasize, he folded his arms over his chest and stood there, smugly.

The blue-haired Senshi gritted her teeth, pinching her earring to restore her visor as she looked in the direction of where Jupiter and Nephrite were. Several things flashed across her face that she blinked away, her eyes scanning for the all too important details she needed to know – had to know.

When she finally found them, her heart nearly stopped. Two sentences of information flashed across her eyes in soft, blue lettering:

**Sailor Jupiter: status – Active**

**Nephrite: status – critical; vitals failing**

Mercury's mouth parted with an audible gasp, her hands flying up to her mouth before she could stop them. No, this couldn't have been right. It couldn't be right! How had things gone so wrong?!

"Judging by the look on your face, I believe it's safe to say I win this bet," Zoisite's sneer filled her ears, making her hands curl into fists. "Looks like big brother finally bit the dust. Hmph…good riddance."

Mercury shot a death glare in his direction, "How can you say that?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him. "You were comrades, brothers even! How can you think so little of him?!"

Zoisite shrugged, "Survival of the fittest, my dear. That's how it's always been for us, and that's how it always will be."

"You're wrong!" she shouted, tears building up in her eyes. For Jupiter, for Nephrite, for Zosite…for herself, at the unfairness and wrongness of it all. "Things weren't always like this for you, for any of you. You're a good man Zoisite, you and all the Shittenou. You were a family, and the bonds I witnessed you build with them still make me smile. Even now, as you stand before me, I hold that image in my heart with the hope that I will someday free you."

Zoisite smirked, "Free me? From what exactly? I'm not exactly a prisoner, sprite."

Mercury shook her hand, gazing at him with serious eyes, "That only shows how twisted Beryl has you wrapped, and I am not going to let her continue to manipulate you – any of you."

Zoisite gave a disgusted grimace, "Like I want you to save me – why the hell do you care so much anyways?"

The words that had been echoed by Mars, V and even Jupiter lingered on her lips ready to burst forth, but she held them back. She would speak a lie she herself didn't truly believe, not until she could convince herself it was the truth. Right now, it was just an empty declaration that was only mirroring other's actions and would be a dishonor to both herself and to the man standing before her.

For that reason alone, she resisted the urge to take back what was hers and what she undoubtedly knew Zoisite had with him. Now was not the time.

"Because like my sisters and myself, you and your brothers were reborn for a purpose; and I swear to you that I will free you if only so you can find that purpose."

This was the resolve she had decided upon having watched the way Mars and Jadeite clicked together, and witnessed the devotion that Jupiter showed for Nephrite. They had wanted to save the men that they were, first before saving the men they remembered them as. And that's what she would do too.

Zoisite's face flickered across several emotions, too fast for her to decipher. But the ones she could pick out made a flicker of hope spark to life in her heart. Finally, his face twisted into a visage of sheer fury, "And who are you to decide who I am and what I will be, you arrogant little bug!" he roared, summoning a volley of energy balls again to hurl at her.

**"Mercury Aqua Mist!"** she shouted, meeting his barrage with one of her own, this time the water completely consuming the barrage and slamming into Zoisite with enough force to knock him backwards. She quickly cast another one, this time releasing her mist in a fog that allowed her to escape the scene.

Zoisite's irritated shout met her ears but she paid it no mind. All of her worries for Jupiter and Nephrite came back to the forefront, her heart hammering in her chest as she raced across the rooftops at breakneck speeds.

_Jupiter…Nephrite…hang on, please!_

* * *

Sailor Moon could hear Mars calling her to slow down, but she refused, pushing even more speed into her bones as her heart pounded in her chest like a jackhammer. Fear and worry had overridden her common sense, all of her thoughts now running on a single loop. Jupiter…Nephrite…

Whatever had happened, it was bad – worse, she could somehow feel how much pain her friend was in. Something had happened, something horrible, something that was this close to causing Jupiter to snap completely.

That thought alone had her crossing rooftops in blinks of an eye, praying with all she held dear that she could be able to do something – _anything_ to fix this.

Finally, she spotted two familiar figures…and skidded to a stop, her heart stopping completely.

Jupiter was kneeling down on the ground, her uniform torn in places, her hair unbound and wild, casting a lush brown curtain over her eyes. The brunette didn't even seem to acknowledge her, white gloved hands stained red resting on the figure that lay in her lap.

Nephrite, who looked almost peaceful, gazed up weakly at Jupiter with pained but warm eyes, evident by the giant cut that had ripped open his chest. He was whispering to her, the blonde could tell, but she couldn't hear the words.

All she could see were the tears that were pouring down her strong friend's face.

The world faded around her, so stunned by the sight was she that the firm hand that landed on her shoulder made her gasp.

"Don't you even-!" Mars was about to chastise her, before she finally noticed the two that were laying down before them. Beautiful amethyst eyes went wide with shock, the girl slowly backing up in horror, "No…no, no, no!" she rushed over towards them, alerting Nephrite to their presence.

"W-wait-!" he tried to warn, but it was too late.

Only Jadeite's quick thinking saved her from being skewered by a lightning bolt that struck down from the sky, yanking her to safety as the bolt impacted the ground in front of them. The blond man shot an angered look at her until he finally saw the body of his former brother. "N-Nephrite…? What…what happened?"

Nephrite coughed, blood dribbling out of the corner of his lips as she smiled at his younger brother, "This…isn't exactly how I envisioned this reunion," he remarked.

Jadeite's eyes widened at that, and he felt Mars tense in his arms likewise at that revelation, "Neph, is that…really you?"

"Yeah…sorry, by the way," Nephrite said, before another fit of coughs hit him.

"Stop talking," Jupiter said quietly, her voice dead.

"Jupiter, what…what happened?" Moon asked, trying to form words.

All of them weren't prepared for the look of pure, unbridled fury and grief that glossed over the thunder senshi's normally bright emerald hues, "If Venus didn't love him, I would destroy Kunzite," she stated in slow, threatening manner that had everyone shuddering slightly.

"K-Kunzite? What-?"

"I couldn't let him kill her," Nephrite said weakly. "I'd rather die."

"I SAID STOP TALKING!" Jupiter screamed, the tears flowing faster and hotter down her face, stuffing her face into his chest as she sobbed.

The girls were horrified, staring at the two with disbelief on their faces. Jadeite for his part walked over and punched the wall of the building…repeatedly.

Moon barely missed the sight of Tuxedo Mask walking up, but what she was more shocked by anything was the fact that he was staring at Nephrite as though he were a long lost relative. "T-Tuxedo Mask?"

The masked man's face twisted in grief, clenching his gloved hands into fists, "I…why does this hurt so much?"

Moon acted on instinct, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it, trying to pour what little strength of her remained into their bond. By the way he calmed down somewhat, it worked but he still looked miserable.

The arrival of two others alerted her to Mercury and Princess Serenity, the two taking in the scene with a mixture of horror and disbelief. Mercury for her part didn't hesitate to rush over to Nephrite, this time avoiding getting struck by lightning like Mars nearly had. Jupiter must've realized who they were but she refused to be parted from the dying man.

"Save him," Jupiter pleaded.

Mercury didn't speak, going into full on doctor mode as she examined Nephrite's injuries. The fresh blood stained her white gloves red like Jupiter's, but continued her work until finally, she froze. Her hands fell to her sides and she slumped in almost a defeated posture that had Moon's heart pounding.

"Jupiter…I am…so sorry."

Instead of answering, Jupiter just held onto Nephrite even tighter, her entire form trembling.

Nephrite, for his part, just gave Mercury a respectful nod as she stood up.

Moon raced up to her solemn eyed friend, grabbing her shoulders firmly, "T-there has to be something we can do? Right? RIGHT?!"

But Mercury just shook her head, her blue hair covering her eyes, "The wound is too deep and he's lost too much blood. There's…nothing we can do."

"DON'T SAY THAT-!"

"I CAN'T!" Mercury screamed in her face, tears flying everywhere causing Moon to back off. "We…we can't heal him. Moving him is too risky, and… I can't." Mercury brushed her hands off and stormed past her, moving off to be by herself.

Moon just stood there, numb, unable to accept this. This couldn't be happening…this couldn't be happening, she repeated to herself over and over again. But try as she might, this was no dream, no nightmare – this was reality unfolding before her very eyes. A cruel, cruel reality.

She watched as Nephrite reached up towards Jupiter's face, the latter clamping onto his hand with blood-stained hands as she began to sob.

"I'm…sorry it took so long to come back," Nephrite said weakly to his love, a pained smile coming over his features. "But at least, we found each other again…like you promised."

"I keep my promises, you bastard," Jupiter retorted.

Nephrite gave a pained chuckle, "Teach me to doubt you, I suppose. Jupiter…you have to let me go."

"Never. I will never, ever let you go. You're not allowed to die on me. I won't allow it."

"This…is out of our hands, love. We put up a good fight, but…in the end, for all that I've done, I have to answer for this. At least…at least…I managed to do one good thing."

"Neph, please, don't do this to me. Please!"

Moon could feel tears welling up in her eyes watching all of this, and she wasn't the only one. The Princess, Mercury and Mars were crying as well, even Jadeite wasn't able to look at the scene any longer. Tuxedo Mask clutched her hand even tighter as well, starting to tremble himself.

"You know…even before all this…the one thing I can still remember was your eyes. How…vibrant, full of life and hope they were. Even when you showed me who you…really were, your eyes still haunted me. I thought, at the time, that it was a curse…a shadow that would forever haunt me. Now I see, now…now I realize that those orbs were my lights in the darkness of my existence. Always guiding me, leading me to you."

"Nephrite! Please!" Jupiter begged, not even holding back her desperation anymore.

Nephrite's eyes started to close, and the light began to fade in them, "At least, I got to see you, truly…one last time. I only wish you could smile."

Moon clenched her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth at the unfairness of all of this. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, IT WASN'T FAIR!

Jupiter's anguished voice still painted the picture for her quite clearly. "Nephrite…N-Nephrite, hey, come on, wake up. Don't rest now. Hey, hey, stay with me now. Nephrite…? This isn't funny Nephrite. Nephrite…Nephrite! NEPHRITE! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!"

"Jupiter! Stop!" The Princess pleaded, crying herself.

"NO! NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! LET ME BE WITH HIM! PLEASE! NEPHRITE!"

Moon couldn't take it anymore and finally let her tears flow, falling to her knees in absolute grief. For her friends, for Nephrite, at the cruelness of the world they were living in. Why, why did things have to end this way? Why couldn't they just be happy? Why couldn't her friend live with her destined one? Why did it only have to be Rei and Jadeite who got their happy ever after? What about the rest of her friends?

_No…nonono, NO! I won't accept this! NO! NOOOO!_

Suddenly, inside her, to felt as though something had just sprung to life. The feeling made her look up in shock, staring down at herself. The feeling rocked her again, and this time she could feel it in her bones. What was happening to her?

**_"That's quite enough, Usagi,"_** a voice suddenly said in her mind, causing her to gasp.

_W-who-?_

**_"This cannot be allowed, you are correct,"_** the voice continued, which started to sound more and more like her own. **_"Mother wanted us to live happily in this life, and I will be damned if I let it start out this way. Rest now, child."_**

Before she knew it, a strange force took over her body in a sudden rush that had both panicking…and feeling strangely at peace.

As her eyes slid closed once more, she could just barely pick out the glow of a gentle, soothing light that followed her even into dreams.

* * *

Gone.

He was gone.

All of their work, all of their effort, everything that had happened between them – gone.

The blood that stained her hands – his blood. The blood he had shed for her, to keep her safe; to do what he had failed to do so long ago. The cost had been his life, and she hated him for paying that price.

She hated him. Hated him for leaving her, hated him for fighting her, hated him for making her feel this way…hated him for being who he was.

The strong, gallant, and utterly insufferable buffoon she had come to love so deeply. The man who with but a smile, could send her worries away; whose touch made her melt into his arms like warm butter; whose words made her feel like she could take on the universe. The man she would eventually corner and marry; the man who would-

A bright light on the edge of her vision caught her attention, as had it done the others. Shocked gasps filled the air, as it suddenly felt a lot warmer around them. When she finally looked up from Nephrite's…body, she was completely blown away by what she saw.

Moon, her friend, her leader, was engulfed in a halo of light, but what was more shocking was the fact that her uniform was gone and was replaced by the most beautiful dress Jupiter had ever laid eyes on. A dress that she recognized, one that tugged at the corners of her memory and called from the distant past.

Everyone stood in awe of the girl, but none looked more shocked than Tuxedo Mask as he stared solely at the girl next to him.

No, she corrected herself. At the _princess_ next to him.

"Serenity," he breathed, everyone's shock being doubled by that statement.

_…Serenity? Princess Serenity? But what about-?_

Jupiter looked at the other blonde girl, and was shocked when she noticed how the crescent mark that had been emblazoned upon her forehead so prominently faded in a glitter of light.

More shocked gasps filled the air, returning Jupiter's attention to Moon…only to see the very same crescent moon mark on her forehead now. The girl slowly opened her eyes, a peaceful and serene look in them that somehow made Jupiter feel strangely comforted despite the overwhelming grief she had been drowning in.

"No way, Usagi was the Princess all along?" Mercury murmured, eyes wide with surprise.

"Right under our noses…how careless we've been," Mars said with a bitter smile.

Moon, no, Princess Serenity's gaze swept over everyone until her eyes met Tuxedo Mask's, the man's eyes going even wider as her hands reached up to cradle his face. "Endymion, my love," she said tenderly. "I need your help."

Before the man could respond to that, his face suddenly grew more composed and a brief flash of light had changed his form like Serenity's, adorning him in a resplendent suit of armor. The look practically radiated nobility and power, but what was more astonishing was how Jadeite reacted.

"P-Prince? My lord? You were the Prince all this time?" Jadeite stammered, looking more shocked than Jupiter had ever seen him. The others mirrored his shock, as Endymion nodded and turned a warm look on Jadeite.

"Jadeite, my old friend…it is good to see you again, on better terms that is. But there will be time for a reunion later." His gaze then turned toward the departed Shittenou, a pained look crossing his features briefly before he turned to Serenity, "We can't let things end like this."

"I had no intentions of doing so," Serenity answered, taking Endymion's hand in hers firmly before practically gliding over to where Jupiter sat with Nephrite. She kneeled down along with Endymion, gazing sadly down at Nephrite before doing the same with Jupiter. There were dozens of emotions swimming in those crystal clear orbs of hers, mingled with fresh tears. "Jupiter, I am so sorry. I will not let your story end before it starts, I promise."

"B-B-but how? He's…Nephrite's-!" Jupiter cried, only to have Serenity push a slender finger against her lips gently.

Serenity merely smiled at her, "Trust me, as you always have," she merely said and then cupped her hands in front of her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, spilling down into eh space between her hands, the drops halting before they could hit Nephrite's shirt. The drops began to glow brightly, so bright that Jupiter had to shield her eyes this time, as did everyone else. The light was brief however, and when she looked back she was mesmerized by the glittering jewel that now rested in Serenity's palms.

In the back of her mind, she realized that this was the treasure they and the Dark Kingdom had been searching for – the Silver Crystal. And it had been with Serenity all this time.

Jupiter watched as crystal began to glow, softer this time, and saw specks of glittery light flutter down into Nephrite's body. Before her very eyes, she watched as the gaping sword wound began to heal, closing up with his skin restored to the point where it never even happened.

"I don't believe it!" Mercury exclaimed with a gasp, all eyes going to her as she stood with her visor on, a look on complete disbelief written across her face. "Nephrite…he's…impossible!"

Jupiter felt hope light furiously in her but clamped down on it by biting her tongue hard enough to make it bleed. She waited for what felt like ever until Serenity was finished, the Princess suddenly falling into her prince's waiting arms, whispering encouragement to her while she snuggled contently into his embrace.

Jupiter was so taken in by the scene that she almost missed the sudden push that met her hands. Her heart nearly stopped, all of her attention going to Nephrite's face…and watched, as the man she had thought forever lost to her, weakly opening his eyes and looked around. She bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed, trying to force out the words lingering on her lips, "N…N-Neph?"

The man froze, his gaze turning to hers, recognition lighting up his features before they fell into disbelief, "Is this…a dream?"

Hearing his sweet voice again, seeing the very real life in those chocolate orbs of his, all of the grief, all of the anger, all of the emotions she had been holding back up until now...

"YOU...IDIOOOOOT!"

...and proceeded pummel the ever-living crap out of him.

"Wh-wha?! Jupiter, OW! Owowowow! Would you STOP!"

"SHUT UP! Shutupshutupshutup! You complete and utter jackass! If you ever, EVER do something that stupid again I will punt you across the pacific, shoot you into orbit then hurl you down to the Earth so I can do it all over again! You are not allowed to die on me – EVER! Don't you ever get yourself killed again or I'll…I'll…!" Her belligerent rant towards this stupid, insufferable, completely hopeless idiot of a husband she had dissolved into uncontrollable sobs, tackling him in a half-sob half laugh as she enveloped herself in his scent once more.

Jupiter didn't care whether he understood why she was acting like this or not. She didn't care if she was acting like this in front of her friends, either. Hell she didn't even care that the two most important people to their mission had popped up at the most unexpected time, with the Silver Crystal to boot.

The only thing that mattered to her right now was the fact that her story wouldn't end in tragedy, that she wasn't alone in this world anymore.

The amazon had her lion back – that's all that mattered.

* * *

From afar watching all of this play out, Zoisite couldn't help but curse to hell and back at their misfortune. Once Mercury's fog had dispersed, he'd taken off after the Senshi intent on making her pay for her actions – and her words, especially her words. How dare she assumed he needed saving? Who did she think she was to decide that?

But when he managed to find her, he had to acknowledge that discretion was the better part of valor in this case since the entire gathering of his enemies was present, even that annoying twat Tuxedo Mask. Jadeite, also, seemed to have survived the beating Nephrite had given him beforehand which was a bummer. But his presence paled in comparison to what he saw they had gathered for.

Nephrite… Guilt, if it could be called that, ravaged him as soon as he realized that Nephrite really was dying even if he wasn't sure how he ended up that way. For all their issues, Zoisite did look up to Nephrite and respect him, so it hurt him in ways he didn't think possible to see him on the verge of death. He thought seeing Nephrite laid low would be completely satisfying but instead, all Zoisite could think about was all the moments the two had shared.

Their spats, their training sessions however little there were, standing side by side while their queen addressed them, and facing the Senshi together; all of these instances Zoisite couldn't hold back, as the loss of his older brother began to really weigh on him.

Hearing the heartbroken pleas of the Senshi that had, supposedly, put him in this state hadn't helped matters. Her cries should've been music to his ears but instead, a deep sadness filled his being that he only just barely shoved back. In the end, even he had to admit he pitied the poor girl but that was as far as it went.

The loss of Nephrite hit even harder when he felt the moment his comrade left this world. It hurt more than he thought it would, or rather it left him feeling empty. Jadeite may've betrayed them but he was still around; Nephrite however…he had died giving his life for the cause, and even Zoisite had to respect him for that.

So he had vowed, right then and there that one day, he would kill the Senshi who took his brother from him – even if it killed him.

That of course, was before the most surprising and aggravating turn of events unfolded.

Of all the times for the her to appear, the Moon Princess had to show up at the moment when Zoisite was at the biggest disadvantage. Even if he attacked, the Senshi would fry him in a heartbeat Mercury notwithstanding, and then the Dark Kingdom would only have Kunzite which didn't bode well in his case. Kunzite was powerful but even he couldn't take on all of them by himself.

What was even more surprising was the fact that Tuxedo Mask had turned out to be someone he recognized – Prince Endymion. He didn't know how he knew the man, but he knew that Endymion had earned his respect for whatever reason. He did recall Beryl mentioning him once or twice, referring to him as the Prince of Earth but other than that little else.

What happened next still had Zoisite shaking his head in disbelief; watching these two somehow cheat death and resurrect Nephrite with the gods-damned Silver Crystal of all things. What followed after that was a short, belligerent rant that he could hear even from this distance from the thunder Senshi swearing unholy wrath on Nephrite if he died on her again.

That remark made Zoisite realize a cold truth – Nephrite had been converted, just like Jadeite. Now there were only two Shittenou left for the Dark Kingdom to use.

Zoisite stared at the following proceedings, watching how Nephrite tried to calm down the hysterical Jupiter, Jadeite walking over and punching then hugging Nephrite, in that order while the other Senshi watched on with smiles on their faces. He could've swore he saw Mercury look in his direction and smile wider, but surely that was his imagination, right?

A sudden whoosh of air alerted him to a new arrival, matching the energy signature before it fully appeared. A wide grin split his face – things were finally turning! With Kunzite back, now they could go and take what was theirs! Even the Senshi plus two traitors couldn't hold out against the full might of the Dark Kingdom! "Kunzite, what a relief you're here. Now we can-!"

The words died in his throat when he saw Kunzite's current condition. The proud leader of the Dark Kingdom Shittenou looked as though he'd been through hell and back, his uniform scorched with his body sporting massive burns that obviously looked painful. Zoisite cringed just looking at them, noting how Kunzite used the building as a support as his form slouched.

Setting all that aside, he tried his hardest not to laugh at the way Kunzite's normally perfectly styled hair was fuzzed up as though he just lost a fight with an electrical socket.

"Kunzite, what in the stars happened to you?" Zoisite asked, stifling his laughter knowing it would probably get him killed in this instance.

"Jupiter happened," the man growled bitterly, glaring at the gathered heroes down below. "Damn you, Nephrite."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Kunzite closed his eyes as if to fight off an incoming headache before replying, "Beryl ordered Jupiter dead because she feared this outcome. She sent me to kill the Senshi, but Nephrite took my strike in her stead. The fool."

Zoisite's eyes widened, before they narrowed in frustration. So, it was true then. Nephrite had betrayed them for a Senshi, just like Jadeite had. "Then he will die just like the rest of them. Now that you are here, we can-!"

"No," Kunzite denied, shocking Zoisite.

"B-but sir, if we attack together, there's no hope they have of stopping us. Look, they have the Moon Princess and the Silver Crystal lying out in the open ripe for the taking. All we need to do is-"

"Do I look like I'm in any condition to attempt something like that, you hair-brained louse?" Kunzite snarled, forcing Zoisite to recoil in horror. Kunzite was getting angry – with him? He must have really been through hell for him to be acting so…unhinged.

Before Zoisite could think of another tactic to somehow convince his leader, a guttural growl erupted in his mind that had shivers rolling down his spine.

**_"Withdraw,"_** the word was spoke with absolute venom and hatred.

"M-my Queen-?"

**_"NOW!"_** Beryl thundered, loud enough that Zoisite felt as though his ears would start bleeding.

"As my queen commands," Kuznite answered, warping away without a second thought.

Zoisite stood there, utterly at a loss for once. This defeat…it stung more than anything he'd ever received before. They had lost so much tonight, and Beryl was likely to be furious. All he could do was level a hate-filled glare down at the gathered heroes and in particular, on a certain water Senshi that was looking off into the distance.

_This is not over, sprite,_ he vowed before he too vanished in a wave of energy.

* * *

(FINISHED! Holy crap this thing took forever! I couldn't decide how to plan the flow of the chapter out, which ideas I should use and all that other stuff. But this...I'm ok with this, even if it may be a bit cheesy. Well, the whole story's cheesy so meh. Anyways, here is the last official chapter of The Lion and Amazon - mind you I said official. What, did you think I wouldn't write an epilogue? No kiddies, there's still some things to wrap up, foreshadowing to bring up and a conversation that really needs to be had between our loving couple here. I know a lot of you have questions, so don't hold back. Normally this would be where I thank all my devoted reviewers but I'll set aside another bonus chapter after the epilogue for that. For what it's wroth, thank for reading this far and you have made this story more successful than I ever dreamed of it being. To bring a long author's note to a close, thank you for reading and I'll see you guys in a week.)


	14. Epilogue

(Read, review, enjoy)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will own Sailor Moon. It is the blessed creation of Takeuchi-sama.

* * *

"You didn't tell me you were rich."

"You never asked."

"How am I supposed to-?! You know what, never mind. Come on, let's go."

"Do we really need to do this? I mean, look, it doesn't look like anyone's here."

Of the two individuals that were stood outside of the huge iron gate, the shorter of the pair gave her partner an annoyed look with her hands on her lips. "For the last time, yes and that doesn't mean a thing. This is your home anyways, isn't it?"

"Makoto, it's been…a long time since I've been here," the young man pointed out wearily, feeling as though he were losing a battle here. "Who knows what's changed…or even if the same people still live here."

Daichi Akihara looked up at the iron gate with a forlorn look on his face, judging whether or not he should take his chances and bolt while he had the chance. But a quick glance down at the girl next to him quickly dispelled those thoughts.

_Even if I ran, I wouldn't get far,_ he groused.

The brunette rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Look Daichi, like it or not you are going through this gate even if I have to make you catch me to get you through it," she stated with a note of finality.

"You wouldn't," Daichi challenged with folded arms.

Makoto grinned impishly at him, backing up towards the gate with her back to it, "You really want to take that bet, buddy boy?"

The two of them glared at one another, the other with irritation and the other with mischief. Two people that, despite everything that had happened between them, had become nearly inseparable.

It had been almost a week since Daichi or rather Nephrite had been brought back by Princess Serenity and as a bonus, his own Prince - Endymion.

Between that and finding himself dealing with an angry and relived wife – something that he had tried to argue about at first but she had shut him down with a threat of shoving a lightning bolt up an uncomfortable place – he found himself swept up into a reunion of sorts with his former enemies, namely his younger brother who had punched him in the face and hugged him, in that order. Surprisingly afterwards, Sailor Mars who he now knew as Rei Hino had given him a welcoming hug, whilst threatening to burn off a certain part of his anatomy if he dared to hurt Makoto ever again.

Daichi was once more reminded just why she scared him the most next to his wife.

After that, what followed was a brief celebration about his "awakening" where each of the Senshi, even Serenity herself had warmly welcomed him into their team. Endymion, who was called Mamoru Chiba in this life, had pulled him aside along with Jadeite so they could have a little reunion of their own. It wasn't much but for the first time in a long time, Daichi felt like he belonged somewhere again no matter how much guilt was festering within him.

Then Makoto had found him and the first thing she had wanted to do was spar with him, of all things. He had tried to refuse but she just transformed into Sailor Jupiter and went after him all the same until he was forced to answer her challenge. A familiar dance ensued between the two of them, one in which he found himself bested by her this time. Her "prize" if you could call it that was that she demanded that he spend the next week with her no questions asked.

He could hardly refuse since he had intentions of doing that anyways. There was a lot he had to make up for with the brown-haired girl and even then he knew he'd be spending the rest of his life trying to make up for it, especially given what he now knew.

His memories of the past life were still trickling in, but everything that involved the girl in front of him he could recall vividly – everything, even…_that_. With everything that had happened, he knew that they were going to have to sit down and talk about _that_ but surprisingly enough, Makoto didn't even want to mention the past up to this point. The only thing that she even remotely referred to with the past was little tidbits about their lives before the Collapse, the happier times when they were only just realizing they were in love. Anything bad though she avoided like the plague and every time he tried to bring up what happened, she'd find some way to detour the conversation.

In some ways, it was both relieving and annoying.

But what was more worrisome was this sudden obsession with him reconnecting with his estranged family. Perhaps it was the fact that she was an orphan but ever since she had found out about his very much alive parents, she had gone on a sort of mini-crusade and had almost strong-armed Sailor Mercury – Ami Mizuno, he corrected – into helping. The blue-haired girl had coughed up the information almost like she was trying to get them out of her hair, which Makoto had commented was strange behavior for the normally shy but polite genius.

Not that it had deterred Makoto in any way to dragging him to his parent's private estate, which led them to now.

Daichi sighed.

He really appreciated that she cared so much about him, so much so he felt undeserving of it most times but this wasn't going to be as simple as she put it. He hadn't exactly left off on a good note with his parents last he saw them, and he'd only been too happy to get away from them at the time. Ironically, his act of independence had not only led him right into Beryl's clutches, but had nearly cost him the second chance the girl in front of him had all but forced him to grasp hold of.

That alone didn't fix things however. Things had been said the night he had left, things he couldn't take back. He was all but positive they'd never want to see him again…and perhaps that was for the best

"Look, Mako-chan, I really appreciate you did this but you – huh, Mako-chan?" Daichi started, only to look around in bewilderment when he saw she wasn't there anymore.

"Yoo-hoo~," a voice sang from up above him. Daichi paled, looking up slowly at the girl that was grinning cheekily down at him, sitting on the brick wall with one leg slung over the side. "Time's up Daichi-chan. Now you gotta catch me."

"Makoto, are you out of your mind!? This is trespassing!"

Makoto just shrugged, "Not if you live here it isn't," she reasoned.

"That isn't – HEY! Makoto! MAKOTO!" he yelled as she disappeared over the wall, out of sight. He let out a frustrated groan, glaring up at the spot where she had once been, "that little-" he grumbled, soon following after her.

This girl was going to be the death of him – _again_.

* * *

Landing amongst a nice plot of neatly manicured shrubs, Makoto chuckled under her breath as she heard her boyfriend – no, husband's – frustrated yells from nearby. It might've been a little too childish and risky, maybe, but she was doing this for his sake after all. She lost her parents long ago and even though it had been out of her hands, she still missed them like crazy every single moment. So there was no way she was going to let Daichi off with being satisfied with leaving things where they were with his own. Sure things may've been bad like he had mentioned, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least try.

He had died… Sure he had come back but he had died all the same, all for her, all at the possibility that he might've never been able to at least see them again. With what he had done for her, giving her a reason to not feel alone in this world anymore, she owed it to him to at least make things right with his family if she was able.

_This isn't exactly how I had planned on doing it, though,_ she mused as she crept through the shrubs while remaining alert of Daichi's movements nearby. She didn't want him to find her before she could reach her destination.

As she moved through the jungle of greenery, she felt herself almost being transported back to one of the happier moments of their budding courtship when he had led her on a chase through the Earth Palace's gardens. When she finally caught up to him, she had tackled him into the pond which had ended up soaking both of them and leaving them a dripping mess. It had also been the moment when she had realized how much she loved those chocolate eyes of his.

Those same eyes that she just knew were scanning every inch of their vision for any sign of her. Not that she intended to make things easy for him, that is.

Eventually navigating her way through the property, she spotted her objective and grinned. She could just hear him crashing through the shrubs behind her, trying his hardest to be quiet but he was as loud as a chainsaw in a quiet forest. She quickly raced over to the patio where the front door to the estate was, forcing herself to keep going when she realized just how big the place was.

She had only seconds before he would be on her. With a quickness, she grabbed the knocker and banged it twice just before she found herself staring into the eyes of her angry husband. "Uh…tag?" she tried, taken aback slightly by the intensity in his eyes.

"Are you trying to get us arrested?!" he all but shouted at her. "This isn't a game, Makoto! And this is one that has gone for far too long. We're leaving, before-"

"Daichi…?"

Makoto's heart soared as Daichi's eyes widened, his form tensing up as she slowly turned towards the now open doorway. Standing in the doorway with a white as a sheet face was a man that looked like Daichi except he had short red hair that was graying in some areas, his hands held limply at his sides. She could see the utter disbelief in the man's eyes and gave Daichi a gentle shove forward, silently encouraging the older boy to speak.

"Dear, who's here?" a musical voice came from within, the owner soon stepping into view. Just from looking at the woman, Makoto could tell which side of the family Daichi resembled mostly given how his mother had long curly brown hair whose strands were set in tow flowing rivers across her shoulders. Hazel eyes widened in shock once she saw who was standing outside, her hand flying up to her mouth. "D-Daichi-chan...is that, is that really you?"

"Yes Mo-" That was all Daichi could get out before he found himself being pulled into a fierce bear hug by his mother, who was crying her eyes out repeating his name. After a minute of stunned silence, Daichi began to hug her back which in turn only made her cry more.

Makoto forced back the tears she knew wanted to come out, refusing to break down here. She had to be strong for Daichi, she had to be.

When Daichi's mother finally let him go, she gave him the biggest slap across the face that had him stumbling with a hand held to his cheek in shock. Makoto almost jumped in if it wasn't for the watery words his mother spewed out next.

"Akihara Daichi! How _dare_ you disappear like that! Do you have any idea how worried you made this mother of yours?! You didn't even think to call, to write?! Do you see these dark circles? These wrinkles? Your mother has aged ten years in the span of a few. This is your doing young man so you better have an explanation for all of this!"

It was almost comical how at a loss Daichi looked right now, but he didn't remain that way for long. "Wait, disappeared? What do you mean?"

His mother's furious expression melted into one of misery, the tears returning with a vengeance, "Did you really think we wouldn't notice? That we wouldn't _look_ for you?"

For once, the taller man seemed to be at a loss. "I…I uh…I'm sorry, mother. I didn't…want to worry you."

"Fat chance of that," his father muttered, quailing under the glare from his wife.

"Dear, you had best welcome your son back," Daichi's mother said almost imperiously.

Makoto noticed for the first time a certain tenseness between the two men that wasn't present with Daichi and his mother. Perhaps this was where the real issue lied, but she would wait and see.

Daichi scratched behind the back of his head, avoiding his father's gaze, "I…I'm home, father," he said, somewhat uneasily.

His father stared at him long and hard before he stepped forward and clapped the younger man on the shoulder, giving him the first smile since the two had seen each other. "My son," he said warmly, pulling him into a hug that Daichi reluctantly returned at first.

Makoto let the tears flow now, unable to stay out of the spotlight now as she found Daichi's father's gaze zeroing in on her.

"Well, you'd better come in and tell us where you've been and, who this young lady might be."

"Yes," Daichi's mother said, and Makoto suddenly felt a chill go up her spine as she found his mother's eyes narrowing at her suspiciously, "please come in and tells us everything, miss."

Now it was Makoto's turn to stare up at the house forebodingly.

What kind of lion's den was she about to step into?

* * *

"Hey, have you read this one yet?"

"Ooh, I love that one! The main male lead is a total hottie but it's a little frustrating how he can't seem to make up his mind about the main heroine."

"It's called character development, Usagi-chan. All the best stories have to show how their cast evolve in some way."

"Well, it's annoying. Why can't he just see she loves him?"

"Because boys are idiots; can't live with them – can't live without them."

"You know we're sitting right over here, right?" Ryuuji called out irately.

His fellow blondes just glanced over in his direction with flat stares before launching into another rabid discussion about manga.

Ryuuji just sighed.

"Are they always like this?" Mamoru had to ask, watching the two girls launch into another animated debate. His eyes lingered on the pig-tailed blonde longer than necessary, but he couldn't force himself to look away. Seeing her laugh and look so carefree was refreshing, given what they had gone through together.

His fellow male gave a grumpy huff, "Since Neph got dragged away by Hurricane Makoto and Usagi realized she was Serenity – pretty much. And with Ami still locked in the control center, that leaves only Minako for her to latch onto."

"What about Hino-san?"

Ryuuji gave a small chuckle at that remark, "Yeah, Rei and Usagi don't really see eye to eye on that kind of stuff; mostly because what Rei likes is worlds apart from what Usagi usually reads."

"It's not my fault I have more refined tastes in literature," another voice broke into the conversation, revealing Rei carrying a tray of tea with three cups that she began to pour for them before taking her seat next to him. "Honestly, if she wants to act more like a Princess, she should pick up a real book instead."

"Don't lie, you're relieved to see her acting more like herself these days," Ryuuji remarked hiding a smirk behind his cup as he took a sip.

Rei turned away with a harrumph, "Whatever."

Mamoru just watched the two interact with a wistful smile, feeling that this little scene was somehow familiar to him even though he'd never seen it until now.

**_"That because you have,"_** a voice not unlike his own sounded in his thoughts, nearly causing him to spit his tea out.

That's right, he wasn't just Mamoru Chiba anymore either. He was the reincarnation of Endymion, a powerful Prince from a past life that ruled over the Earth in ancient times – a Prince whose spirit, somehow, still existed within him.

_Could you give a little warning next time?_ he thought crossly.

**_"You will get used to it,"_** Endymion remarked flippantly, giving the mental equivalent of a shrug.

_Yeah right,_ he thought but didn't go any further on the matter.

It was still a bit of a whirlwind for him the way things had turned out. Hard to believe that only just a few days ago he was just Tuxedo Mask, a hero who always seemed to know when and where Sailor Moon would be in trouble. Now he was the reborn form of the Prince of Earth who had been in love with-

His gaze once more was drawn to Serenity – no, Usagi Tsukino – who was still chatting with her friend as well as guardian Senshi.

**_"It's a lot to take in,"_** Endymion stated, and Mamoru could only nod. **_"…you're hesitating."_**

Mamoru sighed.

_Our love for each other brought about the end of both of our kingdoms, not mention the deaths of countless innocent people. Perhaps it would be best to just walk away now, while things are like this. I mean she probably doesn't even really like me all that much-_

**_"You're a fool, Chiba Mamoru,"_** Endymion said coldly. **_"You're fool for believing that the love of two people could've destroyed a millennia of peace rather than the jealousy of a woman – a woman who was preyed upon by an evil neither you nor Serenity were aware of. You're a fool for not seeing the way that girl over there glances at you almost every minute when you're in the room. And most of all, you're a fool for thinking that she will just let you walk away. She and Serenity may be different people, but they share the same mind and the same heart – a heart that binds them to you, and vice versa. And believe me when I say that she would rather die than let anything take you away from her again."_**

_Like hell I'll let that happen!_ he thought viciously, anger showing on his face.

"Sire, are you alright?" Ryuuji asked worriedly.

Mamoru forced a smile on his face, "Yeah, I just need to step out for a minute is all." With that he stood up, unaware of the pair of worried blue eyes that were watching his every move.

Once he was outside, he took a few moments to calm himself down. He knew he shouldn't have got so worked up but the mere thought of Usagi risking herself for him made him ill. What was worse was that he could've easily see it happening if things got that bad. Even though he barely knew her outside of when they were transformed, he had witnessed how big of a heart she possessed – especially when it mattered to those she considered close to her.

**_"Such is her nature,"_** Endymion remarked which further served to annoy him.

_I know that already,_ he growled.

"Knowing and accepting are two different things."

_And I supposed you're just fine with accepting she'll risk her life for me?_

**_"That is why you are to ensure she is never put in that position, as her Prince."_**

_But I'm not a Prince! I'm just Chiba Mamoru, that's it! I don't have the foggiest idea of how to be one!_

_**"Such knowledge will come to you in time,"**_ Endymion stated calmly.

Mamoru grabbed his head and let out a growl of pure frustration, not hearing the slow footsteps that came up behind him.

"Mamoru-san?"

Mamoru's head shot up, aiming a startled look back towards the owner of the voice – it was Usagi, who was staring at him with worry written across her face…as well as a little fear. He tried to force what was supposed to be a reassuring smile on his face, "Hey Odango," he greeted with the nickname he had come to refer to her as, much to her chagrin. Truth be told, he was hoping that using it would get her to fall back to her usual antics and turn her nose up at him then storm off.

Instead, she walked up to him with doe-like eyes peering up at him shyly, "Can…can we talk for a bit?"

His eyes widened and his heart hammered in his chest. That look of hers wasn't something he could go against, the kind of cute that if weaponized even the most cold-hearted tyrants wouldn't be able to challenge. "Uh, is…Aino-san ok with that? She's been kind of attached to you lately?"

Usagi's cheeks darkened slightly but he couldn't tell why, "She's the one who told me to…well, her and Serenity."

"Oh, ok well that's-" Mamoru froze as he registered the last part of her sentence, "Wait, does that mean that-?"

"I guess, though it's still pretty strange when I think about it," the blonde admitted with a nervous giggle. "So, I'm guessing I'm not alone in this?"

Mamoru let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "No, no you are not," he admitted with a real smile. "Does...she talk to you, too?"

"Sometimes," Usagi shrugged. "Mostly it's when I'm doubting myself, which happens a lot, and then she's in my ear saying that I should be more confident in myself but it doesn't help that she sounds so much like me and it's – why are you laughing?!"

Mamoru couldn't help it, really. Here he had been thinking that he'd been the only one dealing with another voice in his head that in reality was his past life's spirit, and yet Usagi had been dealing with the same problems. So he really couldn't help it that he found the situation a little funny, much to the blonde's ire.

"Stop laughing at me you jerk!" Usagi whined, rushing over and hammering her tiny fists against his chest.

Mamoru finally managed to get a hold of himself, enough to place his hands on her shoulders to get her attention, "I'm sorry, it's just that…I thought I was all alone in this. Having someone who's got the same issue makes me happy, really."

"O-oh," Usagi blushed prettily, staring up into his eyes.

Mamoru swallowed a bit, suddenly aware of how close he was holding her and tried to let go of her only for Usagi to bury her face into his chest. "U-Usagi?"

"This is all so crazy," she mumbled, her voice muffled against his chest. "I keep wanting to just close my eyes and just wake up already, so I can be an ordinary girl again. But...I'm scared to."

"Why are you scared then?" he asked, surprisingly tender.

She sniffled. "Because," she said, and looked up into his eyes, brimming with unshed tears, "because if I do, I don't know if you'll still be there. And I don't think I could take that."

For the first time in his life, Mamoru knew exactly what he wanted and it was the girl that was staring up at him so helplessly. Leaning down, he captured the girl's lips in one fell swoop, pulling her into his arms. She went stock stiff for a moment and he feared he had crossed a major line, but it was only for a split second. Usagi responded eagerly, gripping his shirt in her hands tightly pulling him a bit closer.

Mamoru wasn't sure what had possessed him, but Usagi hadn't pushed him away and if anything seemed to want more, and so did he. He could feel his sudden desire for her, one he had all but clamped down on all this time but now threatened to break loose. If this went on, he would cross a very final line that he just knew would cause more problems than it would be worth. So, much to his body's protest, he pushed her back…and the girl was anything but pleased.

"Why'd you stop?" she all but whined at him, lips swollen from their kiss.

"Because…we barely know each other," he managed to say, and added as he felt her shoulders slump, "and before we do anything we'll regret later, we should fix that, don't you think?" The way her eyes lit up at that was almost blinding and he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Yes!" she replied ebulliently, throwing herself into his arms with a laugh, and he could do little but hug her back.

Yes, Endymion was right. He would ensure that this girl would never be put in a position where she could risk her life for him. He would protect her, no matter what came their way.

* * *

Ami's eyes darted back and forth as her fingers flew across the holo-keyboard in the control center, her lips pursed in a thin line. She'd been here for a while now, but time hadn't really been a factor for her. Her mind was focused only on two things: finding the Dark Kingdom's base of operations, and reviewing all of the reports concerning a certain effeminate Shittenou.

Her sudden obsession conscering the Shittenou hadn't gone unnoticed by her friends, and Luna and Artemis had been tasked with keeping an eye on her under the guise of helping her. Both guardian cats were sat at different positions to her immediate left and right, pouring through their own terminals as fast as their feline forms allowed. Both still watched the human girl out of the corner of their eyes, however.

"Any luck?" Luna called out.

"Nothing over here," Artemis replied with a frown at his screen. "I'm amazed at how well these guys are hiding. You'd think a well of dark energy wouldn't be that hard for the systems to detect."

"What about the reports on Zoisite?" Ami asked, her eyes never leaving her screen.

Luna shared a quick look with Artemis before replying, "There's limited info, but from what I could gather Zoisite was in charge of Dark Kingdom operations in Europe before Beryl called him back."

"Europe… Artemis, weren't you and Venus in London before you came here?" Ami asked the white feline.

"Yes, but before you ask we never saw Zoisite – she would've recognized him if we had. No, the only ones that were active in London were that bastard Danburite…and Kunzite, later on."

"What was he doing in Europe then?"

"Unknown, but my guess is he was searching for the Silver Crystal," Artemis theorized. "With all the medieval ruins littering that continent it's no surprise Beryl sent him there to search for it instead of Japan."

Ami suddenly looked thoughtful, "So his mission was to get the Silver Crystal," she mumbled to herself, cupping her chin.

Luna exchanged another worried glance with Artemis and sighed, "Ami-chan, we appreciate how much effort you've put in but you can take a break any time you like."

Ami shook her head, once more diving back into her work, "I can't, not yet – not until I figure out what the Dark Kingdom will do next."

"That's impossible," Luna argued. "Their plots have all been randomized, all mean to target the Princess in the hopes of luring her out. They won't change; all we can do is be there to stop them before anyone else gets hurt."

"Well, what about Queen Beryl? If what you told us is true and we were reincarnated, then couldn't she have as well?"

Luna shared a thoughtful look with Artemis before answering, "Perhaps, but it's more likely she was sealed up until this point."

"But if she was sealed away, then couldn't we do it again?" Ami asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

But Artemis just shook his head sadly, "The only one who could manage that was Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity's mother and she's gone, along with the Moon Kingdom."

"Not…entirely," Luna pointed out, which Ami honed in on like a shark scenting blood.

"What do you mean?"

"The Moon Kingdom was destroyed, yes; however I'm sure that the Palace archives should be mostly intact. Queen Serenity kept a record of galactic events so if there would be a place to glean some knowledge from, it would there."

Ami's eyes lit up, "That's great! This…no, this is wonderful. If we can get access to those archives, maybe we can finally bring an end to this nightmare. And maybe even-" She shook her head a bit, forcing herself to focus, "But how would we even get up there? The Moon doesn't have air up there."

"True, but according to Legend, the Moon Goddess Yue used her divine powers to erect an atmosphere in which life could exist which allowed her descendants to build the Kingdom," Luna explained, patiently. "Even with the Kingdom gone, Yue's influence would still remain and thus would allow us to travel there safely. Getting there however, is another matter."

"But all that can wait for right now," Artemis broke in, giving Ami a stern look. "Ami-chan, you've done great but even you need your rest."

"Besides," Luna added, when she saw her about to protest, "you wouldn't want Usagi-chan to worry now, would you?"

Ami let out a sigh, giving the computer screens one last longing look before she stood up, "You're right, both of you. After all we'll need everyone in top condition if we're going up there – myself included. Thanks you two."

"Of course," Luna said with a relieved smile. "We'll take care of things from here. You go on home and rest now."

"Right, see you later!" Ami bid them farewell and rushed up the steps leading out of the control center. As she emerged into the night air, she found herself filled with resolve and hope.

_Zoisite…no matter what, you will be free from Beryl. We got a second chance in this life, and you of all people deserve the same. That I promise._

With that declaration, she pushed a bit more energy into her steps as she hurried on home, the moon glimmering brightly above.

A place that would hopefully provide them with the answers they so desperately sought.

* * *

The Moon looked beautiful tonight, Daichi thought as he stood out on the balcony letting the night air roll across his face. Seeing it now, really seeing it made him realize just how horrible of a crime it'd been to try and destroy the glimmering jewel. Peaceful, serene, a place that once housed the most benevolent civilization in the universe.

And he had helped destroy it, however unwillingly.

It made him question once more if he really deserved this second chance he'd been given – not just with Makoto but with his former life in general.

For years he'd feared deep down of ever returning here, expecting scorn and hostility from the people that had helped bring him into this life. What a fool he'd been, wanting to break away from them simply because he felt limited by their raising of him. His act of independence could've cost him everything – it nearly had, were it not for the persistence of the one person he'd give this universe for, besides his Prince that is.

And that was another form of regret he harbored. Prince Endymion, his liege, the man who he had sworn his life to and who he had ultimately decided to betray, had forgiven him and Jadeite for their treason. Even now he couldn't quite look the man in the eye, not after what he'd done.

It was even worse where Makoto was concerned. To see the look of love that shined brightly in her eyes, the tears he remembered seeing her shed on his behalf, the fierce determination in that she showed when she had fought all this time for him made it all that much horrible for him. He'd sworn his soul to her, she'd in turn given him her heart – and at the end, he crushed both it and their future. Worse still, he had-

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Makoto's presence brushed up against his, and he barely held back a grimace.

"Just needed some air," he replied, hoping it would be enough for her.

"Can't say I blame you – your dad is quite the character," the brunette agreed with a soft laugh.

Daichi chuckled dryly at that, "Only when he's had a few drinks, otherwise he's a hellish task master." He could still vividly remember all of the lessons his father had taught him, how strenuous they were and how the elder Akihara had demanded excellence from him and nothing but. Years upon years had fostered resentment that eventually led to him telling off both him and his poor mother who had only wanted the best for him.

"I'd say he did well, considering you turned out fine," Makoto remarked.

"That's…up for debate," Daichi retorted, expecting another backlash from her.

But to his surprise, she merely gave a groan and slumped against the wooden bannister, "That aside, your mom scares me. I don't think I could take another hour of explaining just how it is we know each other or what our relationship is like."

That made Daichi grin a bit. While his parents had been welcoming to him even his drill sergeant of a father before he had started drinking, his mother on the other hand had eyed Makoto with skepticism that he personally felt should've been in reverse. One would've automatically viewed him, the older partner of the relationship to be taking advantage of the younger girl but that wasn't how his mother saw it apparently. She still seemed to view him as her precious little boy and was frighteningly protective of him as a result.

The poor girl next to him had been subjected to for all intents and purposes interrogation as to their prior history, her feelings for him and what their plans were for the future. Daichi of course stepped in before that last bit could come into play, mostly because even he didn't know where they went from here.

Makoto had all but made him her boyfriend and vice versa, but anything past dating her was too scary to think about. Or, to be more honest, he didn't want another repeat of what happened the first time.

The thought made his grin disappear, something that Makoto was quick to notice. "Oi, what's with the long face?"

"You know why," he replied quietly, bitterly. Before she could go off on him, he looked back up at the Moon, "Makoto, I don't deserve you. That's the truth. I don't now and I didn't then. With what I've done to you, I never will."

Silence reigned for a few tense moments before Makoto sighed, but she sounded more annoyed than anything. "You're an idiot."

"Eh?" Of all the things he expected her to say, that was one of the last.

"I said," she poked him in the chest several times to emphasize her words, "you. are. an. idiot."

"But-!"

"Just stop talking for a minute and listen for a second," she snapped and he went silent. She seemed to gather herself and slowly began to speak, "You're right. You don't deserve me…not after what you did."

Despite his words, Daichi winced at the confirmation.

"…but that's changed." His head shot up and shot a look at her, disbelief written across his face. Makoto gave him a bitter smile, "The moment I got my crystal back, I remembered everything…even _that_," she winced herself this time, absolute pain flashing across her face mixed with anger. She took a deep breath before going on, looking straight into his eyes, emerald orbs hard as steel, "The moment I remembered that, I won't lie – I wanted to tear you in half with my bare hands, and then into ribbons."

Daichi felt a hard lump form his throat at her confession, "Then why didn't you?"

Makoto's hard gaze faded, her smile returning, "Like I said, that's all changed. Because the moment I remembered that, the very next something wonderful happened." For the first time since he'd met her, pure unadulterated joy swept across her face as her tears began to fall, "I realized that Queen Serenity really did give us all a second chance."

Daichi just stared at her, in disbelief. Then it dawned on him, and he dared not hope but even still – was she really saying what he thought she was? "Are…are you saying-?"

Makoto nodded, letting out a brief gasp as she answered, "I don't really know myself, but what I can tell you is that I feel something inside of me…something that I haven't felt since I felt something kick me for the first time. That's all I need to know that what you thought you did to us never happened, and that our future hasn't even started yet."

Emotions swept through him that he couldn't really describe except for a feeling of absolute relief and joy. So much so that even he couldn't hold back his own tears, before a thought struck him like a thunderbolt and added a sudden level of dread to him, "That's…wait, wait a second. Are you saying you're-?"

Makoto seemed to follow his line of thought and quickly waved her hands in front of her, cheeks flashing scarlet, "Not yet you dolt! Jeez, if that had happened I would've killed you then and there for – Kyaaaa!" she shouted, only to let out a squeal as Daichi swept her off her feet and twirled her around in his arms.

The young man didn't care about anything anymore. Relief filled every part of his being, followed by a burning desire that he had clamped down all this time for obvious reasons. Those reasons were null and void now and he kissed the girl in his arms with all the passion he could muster, silencing her protests immediately.

He didn't know how long they stayed like at, but the need for air forced them to part and left the two staring into each other's eyes. Makoto looked annoyed but the blush on her face was quite prominent and made him grin.

"I guess this means a lot of things have changed, huh?"

"To you, maybe – but nothing's changed for me," Makoto pointed out, poking him in the cheek with a narrowed gaze, "you're stuck with me, you big oaf. We swore ourselves to each other, and you'd better take responsibility."

Daichi laughed, filled with the first true bit of happiness in what felt like forever. He wasn't a monster, he wasn't a murderer – he had been saved, in more ways than one. "I'd be glad to," he breathed, and the expression of joy that bloomed across her face was worth more than the stars in the sky.

It was hard to believe that so long ago, he believed himself an untameable lion both in this life and in the past. Then along came an amazon princess who had seen him and vowed to tame him, but had been the one tamed in return. Now here they stood a thousand years later, their love for each other never changing. If anything the bond between them had grown even stronger. The roles had switched this time around; this time, she had been the one to tame him.

And he would've had it no other way.

* * *

"What are you doing up here?"

Lying down on the roof, Ryuuji glanced up toward the annoyed face of his girlfriend who was clad in her sailor fuku, gloved hands on her hips as she stared down at him. "Had to get away from all the love-doveyness going around; I might get cavities if I stuck around all that fluff." His eyes traveled down slightly towards her skirt, lifting an eyebrow suddenly as he noticed something, giving a smirk, "Pink, huh?"

Mars glared at him and held up a burning hand as a warning, "Want to keep your eyes? Then put'em away."

Ryuuji complied with a chuckle, returning his gaze up towards the Moon. He felt her join him, also sitting down beside him, "Got lonely did you?" he teased.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you," she retorted and he chuckled. "So why are you out here, really?"

Ryuuji's face sobered, "Beryl's gotta be pissed now," he remarked.

"Good," Mars said vindictively. "With all she's taken from us, it's the least she owes us. So what if she is?"

Ryuuji directed a serious look at the Senshi, "Rei, she had a youma possess me to keep me in line when you got your crystal back; and then turned around and tried to have Makoto killed to keep her from redeeming Nephrite. She's down to just Zoisite and Kunzite now, and I know the woman. She's gotta be getting desperate and I have a bad feeling about what's coming next. Worse still is that it might not be just Beryl we have to deal with anymore."

"What do you mean?" Mars asked, suddenly worried.

Ryuuji's face darkened, "I remember a little more now…more specifically, I remembered how Beryl turned all of us." He trembled a little as his face scrunched up, Mars sensing his pain and laying her hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to continue. "It wasn't just her that brought down the Moon Kingdom. Something changed her, made her powerful…something horrible."

"And you think that this…_thing_ is helping her now?"

Ryuuji darted a look at her, "Stretch out with your senses and tell me if you feel anything different. I sure as hell have."

Mars looked unsure for a moment before she closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses as he instructed. It didn't take long before she gripped his shirt tightly in her gloved hand, starting to shudder slightly. Amethyst eyes opened slowly, a look of dread playing across her lovely features, "_This_…what _is_ this?"

"_That_ is Beryl's master – Queen Metaria, our _Great Ruler_," Ryuuji answered grimly with a bit of a mocking tone at the end there. "With everything that's happened, Zoisite still managed to get more energy before we managed to save Nephrite. I'm sure that little bit was all the monster needed to revive, at least so her presence can be felt now."

"I've never felt something so dark..." Mars admitted, still trembling. "How are we supposed to fight something like _that_?"

"We can only hope that the Silver Crystal can do that. Unfortunately, that's not what we need to be worried about right now – worse, it's Zoisite or Kunzite we need to be afraid of."

Mars looked horrified at the thought, "But they don't even compare to…_that_!"

"Not yet, but I fear that's about to change. I hope Ami realizes her feelings for Zoisite soon, because I think things are about to change for the worse between them."

* * *

The sound of shattering glass followed by an enraged roar/snarl/growl/howl filled the air as Queen Beryl hurled her crystal ball into the wall, the two Shittenou being forced to duck to avoid being hit.

"YOU COMPLETE UTTER IMBECILES! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT YOU'VE MADE THIS?!"

Kunzite couldn't hold back a wince at the volume of Beryl's screeching, very much missing the little reprieve both he and Zoisite had gotten until now. Beryl had summoned them back but she hadn't even allowed them a chance to explain themselves. They had been spared from her wrath for the moment at least until they recovered. Now that they had, well, all bets were off and Beryl had plenty of ammunition to fire at them.

To say she was furious would be a colossal understatement; _enraged_ definitely suited her best right now but those thoughts remained locked tightly within the recesses of his mind. He knew one word out of turn would likely get him killed…or worse.

Glancing quickly at Zoisite showed that he was very much fearful of her anger, mostly because he himself had never been at the forefront of it before. Zoisite had always been one of the more successful out of the other two Shittenou who had now turned traitor, and thus wasn't used to how Beryl tolerated failure – especially one of this magnitude.

Beryl's beady red eyes swept over them in a fierce unrelenting stare, never blinking as she literally snarled at the two Shittenou, a visible vein showing on her temples. Her hands clawed at the arm rests of her throne, and Kunzite had no doubt that she was just waiting for an excuse to claw at their throats with them.

For what seemed like the thousandth time since they'd returned, Kunzite cursed Nephrite to the depths of Hell and back for his actions. In one swift move he had not only prevented the removal of one their most irritating obstacles, but in the process had turned him into a complete joke to his Queen. That murderous gaze that was squared on Zoisite right now was meant entirely for him, he knew it. All because of Nephrite, because of, what? Because the little thunder senshi had poisoned his mind and turned him against his own brothers? It was treason, and if Jadeite's betrayal had meant anything, Nephrite would be given the same courtesy.

The sound of Beryl letting out a sigh broke him from his thoughts.

"You had _one_ job, Kunzite. Kill the Senshi and the traitor. Such a simple task for one of your capabilities and yet, here you stand before me with not only that Jovian tramp still drawing breath but as a bonus, another traitor to their ranks in the form of one of my strongest agents. The sheer volume of incompetence here on your part _astounds_ me, General."

Kunzite clenched a fist behind his back, forcing his face to remain calm in spite of the boiling shame and rage he felt within. "My Queen, those Senshi have cast a spell on my men, an enchantment that forced them to behave as they have. There is no way they would've done so otherwise."

"Really now?" Beryl drawled, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Is that the excuse you are using to justify your failures recently?"

Pride demanded he defend himself, but ingrained loyalty stayed his hand if only because he knew just how little the queen viewed him and by extension Zoisite right now. One word out of turn would likely be their last.

"Be that is it may, we are not here to just discuss your failures, Kunzite," Beryl stated suddenly, her gaze softening as she turned to the other Shittenou. "Zoisite, unlike your other brothers, you have yet to truly fail me and have served me as faithfully as the youma you yourself command."

"I-I am not worthy of my Queen's words!" Zoisite quickly said, lowering his gaze to the floor.

Beryl's lips turned up in a smile that sent shivers down Kunzite's spine, "Indeed, thus you will earn them starting now." Both of their heads shot up at that, looks of surprise flying across their faces. "Zoisite, because of your devotion to me, we have decided to reward you."

_We,_ Kunzite questioned, just as another presence flashed across his senses like hot steel.

Behind Beryl, a cloud of swirling purple and black miasma appeared and before long, two glowing red eyes appeared with a nightmarish grin to complete the horror before him**. **

**"Little Shittenou," **an otherworldly voice boomed through the chamber,** "you have served your Queen well and to that extension, your Great Ruler. Your efforts, however trivial you view them, have allowed me to revive to this state and will not go unrecognized."** Somehow, the grin became even more ghoulish as the voice hissed out, **"I have a gift for you, warrior."**

Kunzite just stared, unsure of just why he felt so…uneasy right now. None of this seemed right, and he knew for a damn fact that this…thing…its existence was just _wrong_. Not only that but where he felt like a servant to the Queen, he felt like an insect to this thing.

He wasn't alone either. Judging by Zoisite's expression, he was just as much wary of this being as he was if not more so given how much he was shaking.

"You should feel honored, my Shittenou," Beryl said proudly, "our Great Ruler has deemed you worthy in her eyes. Very few aspire to such a rank and fewer still are worthy of her gifts."

"And what gift is that?" Kunzite found himself saying before he could stop himself. He instantly regretted it the moment those beady red eyes fell on him. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he was about to be devoured by a being that was truly his superior in every conceivable way. Still, he held onto his courage and withstood the being's baleful glare.

"One that you have not yet earned, Kunzite," Beryl stated coldly, her gaze returning to Zoisite. "Zoisite, as you are now you will not be able to defeat the Senshi or those two traitorous brothers of yours. You are strong, but I fear that the water Senshi will be your end."

"…I will be hers," the Shittenou replied hesitantly but firmly, something that Kunzite was sure he wasn't the only one to pick up on given how the Shadow's eyes narrowed to slits.

"But she will not face you alone, the coward she is and thus you will need every advantage at your disposal," Beryl went on. "Our Great Ruler is willing to lend you some of her gifts to ensure your victory – to ensure _our_ victory."

"But," Zoisite hesitated, glancing at Kunzite, "surely something like this would be more suited for the strongest of us? I'm still weaker than Kunzite."

**"As you are, indeed,"** Metaria hissed. **"But with my essence, even the Silver Crystal will not defile you when you go to claim it." **

Zoisite still looked unsure, and Kunzite couldn't blame him. None of this sat well with him but it wasn't like he could protest anything, given his current standing. Beryl had written him off and now she had resorted to his younger brother as a backup to her plans.

**"This will allow you to save your brothers, warrior,"** Metaria stated suddenly, shocking both Kunzite and Zoisite.

"It…it will?" Zoisite stammered, his eyes wide with shock.

**"It is as your leader has stated: they are under a wicked spell from the Senshi and thus are being controlled. After all, why would your comrades protect your enemies – _their_ enemies with such ferocity otherwise?" **

Before Kunzite's thoughts could linger on that, Zoisite spoke.

"I accept."

Beryl's grin mirrored Metaria's as an aura of dark energy began to envelop them both, **"You have chosen wisely,"** they said in complete synch. The aura writhed and twisted in the air before surging forward like a tidal wave of black, slamming into Zoisite's body.

Kuznite was forced to shield his eyes as the ensuing shockwave nearly blew him off his feet, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay upright. Finally, the tornado-like shockwave and when he lowered his arms, what he saw had his jaw dropping.

Zoisite stood, bathed in a black and green aura of energy as he looked down at his hand as if seeing it for the first time. Kunzite could just feel how out of his league he was now compared to Zoisite but the acceptance of Metaria's "gift" hadn't just boosted his powers. The strawberry blond hair he somehow kept to a near perfect state had undergone an inversion from blond to a sort of ashy shade. His eyes had changed to from green to a dark almost royal purple, and his pupils had turned into diamond like slits similar to a youma's. His skin had also gone an inversion, becoming almost a ghostly white so much so that Kunzite thought he was staring at a ghost for one second.

Kunzite just stared, at a complete loss to the vision before him. Whoever, whatever that was…it wasn't the Zoisite he had come to know. This was someone completely different.

Beryl's cackling filled his ears, mingled with Metaria's as their voices merged once more. **"Well done, little Terran. You've survived a baptism that only one other has lived through, and have evolved from your pitiful previous form. Your power is second to none in this Kingdom, and it's only fitting as you will be the one to bring this world to its knees in my stead." **

Zoisite just knelt on one knee, lowering his gaze respectfully in the same manner as he did before, "Your will is mine, my Queens."

**"Good…**very good," Beryl said, her voice once more returning to normal as her brief merge with Metaria ceased. "Zoisite, you are granted the next twenty-four hours to acclimate to your new status but after this, you are to begin planning for a way to reclaim the Silver Crystal with Kunzite aiding you."

Zoisite gave a deep bow, "At once, my Queen." He vanished shortly thereafter, leaving Kunzite alone with the two rulers.

Now their attention was focused solely on him, and once more he felt like a bug about to be squashed.

"Kunzite," Beryl addressed him, prompting him to lower himself to a kneel.

"My Queen?"

"As of this moment, you are no longer in charge of my armies and are thus tasked with ensuring Zoisite carries out my will to the letter."

Kunzite's gaze shot up, outrage burning in his eyes. "But, My Queen-!"

"DO NOT QUESTION ME, WORM!" Beryl roared, stunning him into silence. "I have lost my faith in you General, and until you earn it back you will serve me in other ways."

"What if I promise to slay the Moon Princess for you?" he offered, grasping at straws now. He couldn't let himself be delegated to just a mere bodyguard like this, he couldn't!

Beryl gave him a condescending smirk in response, "If you believe you can, then by all means – but your priority is to your commander and his mission, not yours. You will heed his words as if they were my own – do you understand, General Kunzite?"

"Yes, Queen Beryl," he forced the words out through gritted teeth, furious at how things had turned out.

"Then you are dismissed. Leave us."

There was little else Kunzite could do except obey, because that's all he was now – a dog, with a new master to boot. But he refused to let things stay the way they were. There were plans to make, youma to coerce but he swore by his very honor as a General that he would prove his worth again.

_Damn you Nephrite…Damn you Jupiter…and damn you, Serenity,_ he cursed in his mind as each of their images burst into his thoughts. Serenity's image lingered longer than the others but it was soon joined by another, that had him stumbling.

A proud, noble young man with jet-black hair and deep blue eyes, staring at him with admiration and respect…

Kunzite grasped the edge of the wall, breathing heavily as the image faded. That man…he'd seen him before, even before Serenity had appeared with him. More than that he knew him, but where and how?

_Forget it,_ his mind argued. _None of that matters now._

That was right, it didn't matter now. What mattered was regaining his honor any way he knew how not just for the sake of redeeming himself to Beryl, but for himself.

Nothing else mattered except that.

* * *

(AND FIN! Holy-fricking-crap, three months! Three months and this story is finished! I can hardly believe it. This has been sitting in my Onedrive for so long that I had almost forgotten about it before three months ago. And it had been left there mostly because I didn't feel I was worthy enough to write something like this. The Maiden and the Dragon was one thing, but this? This was uncharted territory. And to see that this was as well received as it could be brings tears to my eyes. Anyways, this is the last of The Lion and the Amazon, sadly but fear not - as with the previous story, these two will have their screen time just as Rei and Jadeite did, especially given that a trip to the Moon will be coming up...next story of course. So for now, the book is closed on the Souls Saga and I will be posting one more update to this but only so I can respond to my faithful reviewers. You guys made this happen and you deserve your dues. So look forward to it! For now, this is Shittenou Jadeite saying go forth and shake this world.)


	15. A special thank you and future plans

Ok, now that the actual story is finished and I won't take up word count for an individual chapter, let's get right to it shall we?

First and foremost, to every single one of you who read and left a review, thank you. You've made writing this a thousand times easier for me. Considering that it was a couple I don't really have any experience with it was challenge so getting encouragement helped. On that note, I have a few people I'd like to acknowledge.

**Chrissymoon101** – My dear girl, your words make me blush. Truthfully it means a lot that you liked this since I often study how you write your stories before attempting anything of my own. You have a way with story flow that makes me envious, even if your scene building needs work (I'm sorry, I'm a critic at heart!). I only hope that I'd be able to make meaningful dialogue like you someday and maybe with time, I'll be able to do just that.

**Prince of Petersburg** – You are part of the reason this story was even finished, my friend. Without you and Chrissy, this probably would've just sat there for months on end while I wallowed in self-doubt about whether to finish this. Your criticism was a welcome change as well to the praise some of the others give. After all if I don't get told how I messed up, how can one improve themselves? Not to mention you were very understanding when it came to my lack of updates and that helped too.

**Darkkitty04** – I miss you! Come back and finish this and tell me your thoughts, even if it's just one huge review at the end!

And last but not least to my guest reviewer – my first – wait a second… - my second guest! Welcome to the soiree! I'm glad you like this and I honestly didn't know that Ami/Zoisite had a whole musical. Interesting! I'll have to check that out! As for the couples, I've been wanting to write stuff like this for a long time. My OTP is of course Rei and Jadeite, ever since Exile's Lament (if you haven't read it GO READ IT NOW!) but I've always loved the whole senshixshittenou dynamic since I found it unfair that Usagi and Mamoru get to be reunited – so why shouldn't the others? Thus, these stories were born. Thank you for reading this and I hope to see you in the future.

Now then, future plans. Right now as it stands, there is nothing I've written on The Genius and Strategist because that's even more uncharted waters compared to Makoto and Nephrite here. For one Ami is a genius of which I obviously am not, the same goes for Zoisite although to perhaps a lesser degree (maybe?). Both however are logical creatures something I don't have the best experience with, so writing them will take a bit of planning. After all, it's supposed to be believable in a way and if I just have them declare their love for each other it wouldn't seem right now would it? And with Zoisite the way he is now, poor Ami's got a lot of work ahead of her.

Setting that aside, I'll keep trying to get at least the first few chapters done that way I can have them uploaded by the holidays. The only reason I was able to finish this story so fast was because I'm off and there's no work for me during the summer. That changes in about a month and, I'm sorry to say, I'll be taking a break from writing for a bit after this. But I'm not giving up! Rest assured that if I can manage it, I'll have something for you guys later on this year even if it's just a one-shot to tide you guys over.

Also, I've been throwing around the idea of a large story based around the SM universe from the Silver Millennium to Crystal Tokyo, all involving the senshixshittenou as well as Usagi and Mamoru. But that also requires planning and probably won't come to fruition until after the Souls Saga.

And…that's all I've got. Once again, to all the people who favorited/followed or just red it to read it, thank you all so much and if you enjoyed it, wonderful! I hope to see you again in the future. And if you hated it and got this far…well, you read it at least. I kept your interest and that's something I'll take to the bank. As for flames, if there are any…be gentle. After all these are stories and if you don't like it that much, simply don't read it.

Till then, this is Shittenou Jadeite signing off.

Go forth and shake the world.


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